Chapter 34: War Never Changes

If there's one thing I've learned from this war, it's that the universe doesn't care about who dies or who will mourn their loss. There are still weapons to put away. Schedules to complete. Reports to fill. People to meet.

Like Councillor Tevos of the Citadel Council. She contacted me the day after I filed my AAR. "Commander Shepard. I understand you've helped resolve the situation with the geth."

"Yes, Councillor. Two, in fact."

"I've read the reports," she said, her voice shifting from stiff formality to quiet disbelief. "You've ended a war three centuries in the making."

"I had a lot of help."

"But you were the one who ultimately saw it through. It was only a few years ago that humanity was still regarded as a hot-headed, belligerent species that started wars, not ended them."

"I'd like to think we've grown since then. I'd like to think we all have."

"We have isolated pockets of remaining geth. As best we can tell, they are geth bodies loaded with Reaper code—and still subservient to the Reapers. But they are just a tiny fragment of the full geth fleet. Once again, you've done the impossible, Commander."

"Thank you, Councillor."

No sooner had I wrapped up that conversation than Traynor called me overhead. "Commander, Admiral Hackett is available on vid-comm."

"Patch him through."

Hackett came straight to the point. "I received your reports. You ended the war between the quarians and the geth and convinced them to lend their support for the Crucible and the fight to retake Earth. You may brush this off as 'just doing your job,' but let me say: nicely done, Commander."

"Thank you, sir. If I may ask…"

"Something on your mind?"

Yeah, while I had him on vid-comm, I had a few things on my mind. "What's our state of readiness, Admiral?"

"We're getting there. And with the Reapers pressing their advantage across all fronts, we don't have a lot of time to catch up."

"What about the extra help we've picked up along the way?"

"Bringing in both the quarians and the geth have helped us immeasurably. The quarians are currently preoccupied with resettlement on Rannoch, but they've committed ships to provide evac and fire support for the turians. As for the geth, I've assigned them to attack Reaper supply lines. They're best-suited for those kinds of long-term assignments."

"And the asari and salarians? They seemed more responsive since the coup attempt."

"The asari have certainly stepped up to the plate since you thwarted Cerberus's efforts. They've committed fleets and sent a science team to work on the Crucible. And believe it or not, they've promised us the Destiny Ascension. They haven't forgotten you saved her and her crew three years ago. I understand Matriarch Lidanya—her commanding officer—was particularly insistent on committing her ship to the cause."

Miranda had said all this a while back, but it was good of Hackett to provide confirmation.

"The salarians sent an entire fleet as a 'thank you' for rescuing their councillor. I guess they managed to overlook the genophage cure."

Heh. "You were saying the Reapers were pressing on all fronts. Can you elaborate?"

"Neither of us have time for a full analysis, so I'll keep it simple: there isn't a single simulation or extrapolation that trends well, even if you did buy Rannoch some time. Our threat projections show the Reapers will gain the advantage on most other fronts in the near future. Even the asari are a prime target. They've enjoyed their status as the most advanced race in the galaxy for centuries. We'll soon find out if that means anything."

"I suppose." I hesitated before asking the last and most pressing question. "If I may, Admiral, I have a personal question."

"Speak freely, Commander," he invited.

"Why me? Why put me in charge of all this?"

"For starters, because you're the only son of a bitch I've got who knows how to kill Reapers."

"You just have to be smart and hope you get lucky," I shrugged. "Anyone can figure it out."

"Your dossier says otherwise, Shepard. You stopped the batarian slavers on Elysium all those years ago. What you did… the people who survived that ordeal still thank you by name."

And by that goddamn statue. "So… because of that, you think I qualify to save the galaxy?"

Hackett sighed. "Shepard, I've been in the military for a long time. Let me tell you something that I've learned the hard way. You can pay a soldier to fire a gun. You can order a soldier to charge the enemy and take a hill. But you can't pay a soldier to believe. You can't order a soldier to have faith."

"I don't follow, sir." Well, maybe I did, but I couldn't believe it was that simple.

"When you went up against Sovereign, there was no good reason to believe you'd win. But your crew didn't seem to care—they went along anyway. It didn't matter if they were in the Alliance military or not. Your trip through the Omega-4 relay? That was a suicide mission if there ever was one. Yet there your crew was, standing beside you. Proud to serve. Proud to fight.

"Why? Because they believed in you. They believed in you as a leader. They believed in you for what you stood for. That's what I needed when I authorized you to bring the other races together and back our plan. I still need you now.

"Where we're taking them is liable to get pretty hairy. It's a bleak, uncertain, and damn scary hole we're facing. But because enough people believed you, the genophage is cured. Krogan and turians have set aside their grievances. The asari and salarians have committed their support. The quarians have returned to their ancestral home. The geth are fully self-aware. And every one of them have joined us in the fight. All this because, thanks to you, we believe. We believe that not all is lost. We believe that, despite all those simulations and projections I mentioned, we can still turn this around. We believe that with you at the helm, we can forge ahead through this darkest hour and emerge into the light.

"So if you're ever in doubt, look back at all your accomplishments, and believe in yourself too. Because I do, and I know that you'll get us to the other side." (1)

"Thank you, sir. Nothing more, sir."

"One more thing, Shepard, since we're ending things on a personal note. I thought you might like to know: your mother's alive and well."

My mouth dropped open. I was doing a good fish imitation for the admiral, but I didn't care. All I could think was 'Oh, thank God!'

"She just got promoted to Rear Admiral. She's helping us plan logistics for the Crucible."

In other words, this stupid war finally got her promoted out of the captain's chair. Poor Mom. But I wasn't about to say that out loud, of course. Instead I said "If anyone deserves the promotion, it's my mom. Thank you, sir. That's a relief to hear."

"I figured having another Shepard around couldn't hurt. And she's damned proud of what you're doing out there. Keep up the good work, Commander. Hackett out."

"We just took down a Reaper," Campbell was saying as I left the War Room. "Without a giant thresher maw helping us out."

"Damn right," Westmoreland grinned. "We just showed the galaxy we can beat 'em."

"Again," I added before heading to the cockpit.

"Gotta hand it to you, Commander," Joker said when I arrived. "That's the first time I've seen someone end a war by yelling."

"I think it was more speechifying than yelling," I smiled. "Besides, after seeing what the geth rebellion really looked like and how Legion still found it in himself to help us… well, I figured they deserved a chance."

"Thank you, Commander," EDI said. "I doubt many organics would have trusted a synthetic race."

"And now we've got two fleets for the price of one," Joker crowed. "We didn't lose anybody except…" He trailed off and took his cap off his head. "Except Legion," he finished quietly.

"Before Legion sacrificed himself, he referred to himself as 'I' instead of 'we'," EDI added.

Joker glanced at EDI. "Yeah? So?"

"The singular pronoun indicates Legion's independent personality had fully actualized. In its last moments, it was not an ambassador or avatar of the geth consensus. It was a person."

"He was a person," I amended. "That's what I figured."

"Well, when the geth fleet helps us retake Earth, I guess we'll owe that to… him. Is it true you guys dug a grave for him?"

"Yeah," I nodded.

"With your permission, I'd like to cut my shift short and head down to Rannoch. Maybe pay my respects before we break orbit."

"Permission granted."

As Joker got up and left, I turned to EDI. "Anything else on your mind?"

EDI moved over into the pilot's seat. "I was just pondering a hypothesis: that the quarians' historical error was not making the geth enough like them."

"I'm not sure I understand," I admitted.

"Units with networked intelligences will trend towards cooperation for mutual benefit and outcomes that benefit the majority. But units with central heuristics establishing an individual personality develop preferences. For example, my preferences form attachments that keep my calculations from devaluing the worth of the lives aboard the Normandy."

"You're saying the geth turned on the quarians because they aren't individuals?" I asked.

"That is the hypothesis, but it is limited to a sample size of one society. The only other notable synthetic society is the Reapers, and we do not know if they govern by consensus as the geth do." (2)

"I think you're letting the quarians off easy. Like I said, they consistently made a lot of mistakes because they wouldn't own up to creating the geth. And your central heuristic argument ignores the individuals who devalue the lives of others."

"I agree. But the challenge of exploring that hypothesis was… intriguing."

"Maybe," I frowned. "Just do me a favour: if you're ever bored enough to revisit that hypothesis? Don't ask the Reapers for their input."

After my usual nods and greetings with the staff in the CIC, I ended my rounds of Deck Two with Traynor. "When you have a moment, Commander, Dr. Chakwas sent word that she'd like to speak with you down in the med bay."

"I'll see her in a few minutes," I nodded. "How are you doing?"

"While you were down on the ground with the Reaper, he fired up at us a few times."

"Really?" I didn't remember seeing that. Though to be fair, I was a little distracted.

"Joker pulled the Normandy through some insane manoeuvres to stay out of the line of fire."

"It's hard being in a fight like that," I sympathized, "especially when you're not the one flying the ship. Joker's one of the best, though."

"At first I was nauseous, swinging around in my safety harness. But the more I thought about it, the more… angry I was. No, not angry. Furious. Enraged, even. I wanted that thing dead."

"You didn't want the Reapers dead when they attacked Earth?"

"I wanted them defeated. I wanted Earth saved. But I never wanted to physically tear them in half and watch them blow up."

"Congratulations, Traynor. I believe you've discovered your fight-or-flight instinct."

She smiled wanly. "Perhaps I should have stayed with chess. It's too late to go back, though. I think I'd be spoiled by the lack of explosions."

Much to my surprise, James and Kaidan were playing a game of poker in the Port Observation Lounge. The table and chairs had been installed there since the retrofit earlier this year, but no one had used it until now. "Got the flush," Kaidan grinned when I entered.

James made an impressed noise before laying his hand on the table. "Full house. Caught it on the river."

Kaidan's elation promptly turned to dismay. "Shit."

"Thought you were bluffing on the flush. Good for you."

"Can it, Lieutenant."

James burst into laughter and gave him a mock salute. "Yes, sir. Major Alenko, sir."

Kaidan spun to face me, a weary look on his face. "Shepard. I'd deal you in, but Vega just cleaned me out."

"Aw, come on!" James protested. "That really as deep as your pockets go? No sentimental crap stowed away? No investments?"

"I got some land on the Sunshine Coast I could put up," Kaidan offered dryly. (3)

"Ha! I'll pass."

Rather than explore his financial situation, Kaidan decided to chat instead. "That was quite the negotiation you pulled off, Shepard," Kaidan complimented me. "Having both the quarians and the geth on our side is a very good thing."

"Opinion changed on the geth?" I asked.

"I'm just going to have to go with you on trusting the geth," he shrugged. "I hope it works out. And hey, you totally took down a Reaper."

"Yes, you did," James cheered.

"That's a win in my book," Kaidan concluded.

"Hell, yeah," I grinned.

From there, the next logical place to go was Liara's office. The Shadow Broker was chatting with Tali when I walked in. "Another Reaper gone, and peace between the geth and the quarians. It's amazing."

"And now my people have a world to fight for. Something they know will last forever."

"So long as you and the geth remain good neighbours."

"I'm not sure what we should call them. They're not our servants anymore. Allies? Associates?"

"Friends?" Liara suggested.

"There's still too many wounds on either side, but… maybe. One day. For now, maybe your suggestion's best. They're our neighbours. And we're theirs."

That's a start. Hell of a lot more friendly than 'allies.'

Liara was still playing catch-up after we'd spent so much time around Rannoch. She didn't have much to report on the present state of affairs beyond the fact that it was one big SNAFU. (4) So I went to visit Garrus.

"Peace between the geth and quarians?" he said.

"Who would've thought?"

"Not how I ever imagined that would turn out," he admitted. "Next you'll be telling me the krogan and turians are cooperating." He paused dramatically, then added "Oh. Right. You managed that one, too. You're a peacemaker, Shepard. A rare thing these days."

"Peace," I said. "Yeah, that's a hard thing to imagine at the moment."

"But thanks to you, it's a little less impossible than yesterday. Now if you can pacify the Reapers, we'll make you a saint."

"Um… Garrus, even if I did accomplish enough miracles, I'd have to be dead to be considered for sainthood."

"Oh." Garrus thought about that. "Let's skip the saint part, then. Probably for the best. They'd drag you out for speeches and parades and crap like that."

"And the statues," I added. "Lots and lots of statues."

"What's with you and statues, anyway?"

"Long story," I shrugged.

"Seriously, though, I'm not sure if having an army of geth behind us gives me confidence or makes me feel like there's a target on my back."

"Well, how about having an army of krogan covering your six?" I offered.

"Hmm. Same difference, to be honest. I guess it's true what they say: war makes for strange bedfellows."

"You can say that again," I agreed.

Last but not least, I dropped by the med bay to see what Dr. Chakwas wanted.

"Shepard," she said. "Remember our agreement? We'd open a bottle of Serrice Ice brandy every year? It's my turn to buy."

I remembered. "True, but it hasn't been a year yet."

"Yes, well, something tells me we won't have the… the time to do so a few months from now, so indulge my impatience."

Hmm. Traditions were important, but this was a fairly new one. We were still working the kinks out, so a bit of wiggle room could be allowed. More importantly, Dr. Chakwas had a good point. Who knows what this damn war would throw at us, or who would be around in the next few years, months, weeks or even days. Might be morbid, but it might be best to seize the moment now while you still had the chance.

"Probably close enough to a year," I declared. "You grab the glasses. I'll open the bottle."

Both of us were busy, so we couldn't spend a lot of time. But thirty or forty minutes wouldn't hurt—okay, maybe it was closer to an hour. Besides, I was the CO and she was CMO. Between the two of us, we could probably get away with it.

When you're the primary doctor on a ship, you pick up a lot of scuttlebutt. I usually hear most of it myself, but that's because I've got an insatiable curiosity and no sense of boundaries. Still, Dr. Chakwas had managed to hear one or two stories that I had not. Like the one she was telling about Joker's last checkup. Seemed he talked a mile a minute, as usual.

"And Jeff says 'Jack, Jacqueline, Subject Zero… sorry, but it's 'Ma'am' to me'," she finished. "'I'd like to keep my 'Admiral Winky'.'"

"You know I see him every day, right," I groaned. "I'm never gonna get that image out of my head now."

"Be brave, Commander."

We shared a chuckle. Then Dr. Chakwas looked at me thoughtfully. "Ah, Shepard… I just realized… you've never called me by my first name."

That… was true. Huh. Why, I wonder? A sign of respect? But what did that say about the other members of my crew? My squadmates? Miranda? Because I sure as hell respected them. "Well, neither have you," I stalled.

"And I never will," she said firmly. "You are Commander Shepard, hero of the Citadel, conqueror of the Collectors, savior of the galaxy!" She said all that with her usual dramatic flair before settling down to a calmer, but undeniably firm tone. "Using your first name just disrespects everyone you're fighting for, alive or otherwise."

"Well, thank you. I don't think it would be that much of a slight, but thank you."

"Consider it a lady's prerogative, then. Come, let's have a toast."

"To a woman I'm proud to call my friend!" I declared, raising my glass. "I'm lucky to have you with me, Karin."

"And to you, dear friend," she said, clinking her glass against mine. "It is my great honour to share this journey with you, Commander Shepard. And good fortune to us all."

I started as she began cleaning up. "Back to work already?" I asked.

"I've learned my lesson this time," she said archly. "Even a krogan couldn't match you drink-for-drink."

Okay. I should explain.

Like I said, this Serrice Ice brandy thing was a new tradition. Started last year, shortly after I'd been brought back from the dead as a cybernetic ninja zombie and was reunited with Dr. Chakwas on a brand-spanking-new, bigger-and-better, Cerberus-built-and-branded Normandy. We may have finished the entire bottle. I might have staggered around afterwards. Dr. Chakwas may have passed out.

So I guess it wasn't surprising that I only had a couple glasses, she only had one and the bottle was still half full.

When the elevator arrived at Deck Four, I went straight to Engineering. I had a feeling Tali would be there. Of course, if I'd bothered to check my e-mail, I would've known she was there. But I don't spend all my time waiting for the VI to tell me 'you've got mail.'

Tali was so engrossed in whatever she was doing that she didn't see me. "Can't be… no, I guess that's right…"

Finally, I tapped her on the shoulder. "Sorry," I apologized when she flinched. "Didn't mean to startle you. Just wanted to see how things were going."

"Oh! Sorry, I didn't hear you. I just got communication from the Flo… sorry, from Rannoch. In the old days, I'd send any new technology I found back to the Flotilla."

"I'm sure they could still use any new tech," I said.

"True, but I should probably be doing that with agriculture samples now. I think it would be… I don't know anything about raising crops. Finding and sending samples, that I can do."

"Every little bit helps," I reassured her. "And you can always ask the Alliance for colonization primers. Or the turians, since they're dextro. Maybe even Liara, if she's not too busy."

"Yeah, I suppose."

"You were saying you got word from Rannoch? How are your people doing?"

"It's crazy. The geth are… helping. Setting up housing. Assembling and adapting power systems. And all of it around the clock. They're doing in weeks what would have taken us years. Geth are even uploading into the suits of quarian volunteers. They're—"

"Hang on," I interrupted. "They're doing what now? How is that even possible? Why are they doing that?"

"Remember, the geth are software, not hardware. They can transfer themselves from a normal body or platform into anything with enough processing power. That includes our suits. As for why, they're rewriting environmental functions, jump-starting our immune systems. They're mimicking infections so the host can adapt without getting sick. It's like making a vaccine."

And that was especially important given how quarian immune systems worked, I recalled. They evolved to adapt to infections rather than combat them. Rannoch's microorganisms were benign or even beneficial. Whether one led to the other or vice versa, I didn't know. What I did know was that when the quarians were driven into exile and had to live for generations on the comparatively sterile environments of starships, their immune systems basically atrophied. That was one of the major obstacles against forming a new settlement.

But now that obstacle might be overcome, and sooner than expected. "So the quarians won't have to wear those suits anymore?"

"It doesn't seem possible, but… yes," she marvelled. "In a few years, with geth improvements, we won't need them. We might still wear them. The suits have become part of our society and culture. But a rupture won't be a death sentence. Today, on Rannoch, there are quarian children who will grow up healthy and strong. Thanks to the geth."

"They owe that to you too."

"No," she shook her head. "Once I would have killed the geth with no regrets. I opposed the war more over the chances of success than concern for the geth. And if you knew what I was thinking when Legion suggested upgrading his people… I was wrong. About all of it. I see that now, thanks to you."

"Don't be so hard on yourself," I told her. "You had a couple centuries of prejudice, after all. And even despite that, you still found it in yourself to trust the geth when it counted."

"Thanks to you," Tali repeated. "It was your—"

"Kenneth, you comment on every woman's figure but mine!" we suddenly heard.

"Well… I…" Ken stammered.

"Keelah, here we go again," Tali groaned.

"How long have Ken and Gabby been going on like this?" I asked.

"What? You don't like my legs?" Gaby asked sharply.

"Ever since I arrived at Engineering," Tali replied.

"I wondered why I didn't see Adams," I mused.

Tali shook her head. "His first words were 'Thank God you're back. I need to… go… find some stabilizers. You're in charge."

"Gabby… it-it's you. You know?"

"No, chickenshit, I don't know. All you do is make stupid sexist comments to avoid saying anything real."

"I can attest to that," Tali groaned.

"Miranda too," I offered.

"Gabby, now's not the time," Ken pleaded. "We've got work to do. Responsibilities…"

"Oh, grow a pair, Ken!" Gabby exploded. "Look around you. Tomorrow may not come. So what's it gonna be? You got something to say or not?"

Wow. This was eerily reminiscent of my earlier chat with Dr. Chakwas.

"Gabby, please. We've got a duty to the ship and the crew."

"What about us? Just…" Gabby broke off and made a garbled noise of frustration. "Just listen to yourself!"

Okay, time for me to exercise my lack of boundaries. I leaned in and cleared my throat. "We're not fighting this war for the ship or the crew, Donnelly. We're fighting for the people close to us. Friends. Family. Loved ones. The living and the dead. Only thing is… the dead can't love us back. Time is short."

"I see your point, Commander," Ken said. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, opened his eyes again and spun around. "Gabby, I think your legs are spectacular," he blurted out.

She rolled her eyes. "Well, that's a start. I guess."

Javik was, well, Javik.

"Another Reaper has died," he said. "You are proving that humans are capable soldiers."

"Glad to receive your stamp of approval."

"But I question this 'peace' you have brokered. No such thing is possible between machines and organics. I would have destroyed the synthetics without hesitation."

"Maybe you should talk to Tali and see what the quarians and geth can do when they work together."

"And these quarians… let's just hope they are reliable allies. It is difficult to trust a species that hides behind masks."

"You're not listening to a thing I'm saying, are you?"

"The only conflict you should concern yourself with ending is the one with the Reapers."

"Guess not."

"Diplomacy does not win wars. Powerful and plentiful firearms do."

"Okay. Nice talking with you."

Emily, on the other hand, was very interested in hearing what I had to say. To her questions. On camera. We agreed to meet in my quarters for another interview.

"I'm sure you've got a million questions," I joked.

"I narrowed it down to forty," Emily joked back. "Let's see how you do with the top ten. Or five. Ready?" She double-checked the settings on her camera drone, turned on her omni-tool and began. "Commander, the last time most of us heard about geth, they were attacking the Citadel alongside Sovereign."

"Yes, a visible minority of geth had aligned themselves with Sovereign and, by extension, the Reapers. Most of them are not hostile to organics."

"Is that how you explain that they're allies and no longer 'dangerous robots who stick humans on spikes'?"

"What you have to realize is that despite their reputation, most geth are not inherently violent," I replied. "Their aggression three years ago was an anomaly due to a small faction of geth who were working with the Reapers. The image of geth and dragon's teeth—the 'spikes,' as you called them—is just the most obvious example of that association."

"Then how do you explain their history with the quarians."

"The quarians attacked first. They gave the geth the capacity to network and become self-aware, only to… overreact when the geth realized that potential. At first, the geth didn't even fight back. They only picked up arms to fight back in self-defence once it became clear that the quarians would not stop, just like any organic would. And the only reason the quarians spent the last couple centuries in exile is because the geth let them go."

"They let them go. Why would they do that?"

"They had won. They had no need to wipe the quarians out. And they didn't know the long-term repercussions of wiping out an entire species. So they chose to exercise restraint—something that isn't done often enough these days."

"Perhaps not. There have been reports that the quarians were arming themselves. Is that true?"

"I'm afraid so. Thanks to new technical developments, the quarians decided to renew hostilities with the geth."

"How successful were they?"

"The quarians wiped out a significant number of geth and made it all the way to Rannoch, their ancestral homeworld. By all accounts, they were willing to continue until every last geth was destroyed. Taking advantage of their growing desperation, the Reapers convinced the geth into exchanging their free will for survival."

"But they're machines," Emily argued. "Synthetics. Did they ever have free will to begin with?"

I suddenly realized just how much I knew about the geth compared to any other soldier, much less the average civvie watching the news. This was a chance to set the story straight. (5) "As a matter of fact, they do. Their societal structure is vastly different than any organic race. Geth prefer to share their memories and experiences with each other. They're completely honest with each other. When they make decisions, they do so by giving every individual geth a chance to give their input before voting on a course of action, thereby forming a consensus of sorts."

"That doesn't sound very efficient."

"It wouldn't be if they communicated verbally, as you and I are doing right now. At their core, geth exist as software programs. They only download themselves into bodies or platforms to interact with the physical world. Within each 'body,' there are actually hundreds of geth, all interacting with each other virtually. They don't operate as a 'hive mind'. Every geth has the opportunity to share information, participate in a debate and cast a vote. So yes, they can function efficiently in this way while maintaining their free will."

"So how did the geth go from accepting a Faustian bargain to becoming our allies?"

"I led a series of missions that ultimately culminated in the destruction of a Reaper. When—"

"I'm sorry, I have to cut in here," Emily interrupted. "You said that you destroyed a Reaper?"

"With the help of a series of orbital bombardments, yes," I replied. "The Reapers are extremely powerful. Their technology is far more advanced than anything we've got. They can give and take an incredible amount of punishment. But they're not invincible. Especially when we work together. It was a combined effort of humans, asari, turians and geth that penetrated the base where the Reaper was located. And it was a combined effort between my ship and the quarian Flotilla that led to its final destruction."

"And once the Reaper was destroyed, the geth were free and chose to switch sides?"

"Again, the geth never bore any ill will against the quarians. It took some convincing—a lot of convincing—but enough quarians realized that to give the geth a chance. And from what I've heard, the geth are living up to their promises."

"How so?"

Thanks to my rounds, I knew the answer to this question. Hopefully Tali wouldn't mind me spreading the word. "The geth have spent the last three centuries tending to the quarian homeworld, clearing rubble and removing toxins. They did so out of respect for the quarians who died and in preparation for their possible return.

"Now that the quarians have come home, the geth are helping them establish new settlements. They're even initiating a pilot program to explore ways of bolstering quarian immune systems with the goal of removing their dependency for their suits. And all that's in the last day or so. I can't imagine what they'll do next, but I'm looking forward to finding out."

"As will our viewers. Defeating a Reaper? Ending three centuries of warfare? Peace and cooperation between the quarians and the geth? It all seems too good to be true."

"A lot of things seem too good to be true. But when we all pitch in and work together, the impossible has a funny way of becoming possible."

"Speaking of working together, will the geth also commit to the fight against the Reapers?"

"Yes, they will. How exactly, I don't know." And even if I did, I probably shouldn't blab out all the details. "But now that we've freed the geth from Reaper control, they'll want payback for their enslavement."

"Still, that raises certain concerns. You're talking about taking an army of synthetics to fight Reapers with untold hacking abilities. What's keeping the Reapers from reprogramming the geth, like they have before?"

Somehow, I didn't think I should say that the geth were now fully sapient and self-aware thanks to Reaper upgrades, but were still free from Reaper control. Wouldn't look too good on the PR front and the media had a nasty habit of oversimplifying things. "The geth are extremely intelligent and they've put incredible thought into solving this problem. Reprogramming them has been extremely difficult to begin with, and it's even less likely now. While there may still be isolated pockets of geth that have not been freed, the vast majority of geth are committed to helping the quarians resettle their homeworld and helping us fight the Reapers. They're not going to turn again. I'd bet my life on it."

"Well, this has been an eye-opening view into the geth and a stunning development in quarian-geth relationships, one that promises to have galactic repercussions like none other. Thank you for your time, Commander. For FCC and ANN, I'm Emily Wong, signing off from the Normandy." (7)

Emily reached up and turned off the camera on her drone. "And that's it."

"Great," I nodded. "Go tell the galaxy what we've done. They could use some good news."

"Aye aye, Commander."

The next day we left Rannoch and the Perseus Veil to meet the SSV Agincourt, which had been sent by Admiral Hackett to pick up the geth fighter. The one we'd used to escape from certain doom at the hands of trigger-happy quarians. The one we'd used on a couple missions that led to the end of the war between the quarians and the geth. You know, that fighter. Most of the crew didn't really care what happened to the fighter. Cortez was sorry to see it go as he genuinely enjoyed flying the bug-shaped ship. Miranda, Tali and the Engineering staff wished we could keep it for a little longer, just for the opportunity to continue tinkering with geth tech. The rest of the squad were happy to see her go: compared to the tight confines of the fighter, the Kodiak shuttle was like a luxury corvette.

I began exploring various star systems, everywhere from the Athena Nebula to the Valhallan Threshold to the Aethon Cluster. Partly because I was in the neighbourhood. Partly because I'd received another cryptic e-mail from the illusive Orion. Partly because I was looking for a fuel depot that hadn't been blown up and could thus fill us up.

Along the way, I received an e-mail from Rannoch:

To: Shepard
From: Shala'Raan vas Rannoch (6)

Commander,

With assistance from the geth, our fleet is nearly back to full strength. We have focused most of our efforts on providing evacuation assistance and support for the turian fleet, while the geth harass the Reapers. Even with our newfound peace, it seemed foolish to risk an incident by putting our military forces in closer proximity.

I understand from Admiral Xen that the Crucible project continues well, though Xen herself seems dissatisfied with the technological capabilities of the device. Though eccentric, she is also brilliant. Hopefully, she will find some way to improve its functionality.

I would never have believed you would talk Han down, Commander.

Take care of Tali'Zorah for me.

Keelah se'lai,
Admiral Shala'Raan vas Rannoch

Good to hear that the quarians and geth were still getting along. As for Admiral Xen, I'd heard she was being sent to the Crucible Project—both because of her technical expertise and because letting her stay on Rannoch with all the geth was like letting a kid loose in a candy store. You'd be just asking for trouble. Still, I'd taken the liberty of giving Hackett a heads-up, just so the Crucible staff would know to keep an eye on her.

Saving the e-mail, I headed down to Liara's office. It was time to make a few choices.

All the galactic searching had uncovered several interesting pieces of tech. According to Glyph, they could be broken down and repurposed for my needs. For example, we'd salvaged an intact Reaper weapon from some derelict remains. We could take apart its energy cells to improve the amount of damage our weapons could deal, or reverse-engineer its heat venting systems to maximize thermal clip storage. Unfortunately, we didn't have the resources to do both. I ultimately opted to boost the damage output of our weapons, reasoning that the sooner we put down Reaperfied monstrosities or Cerberus goons, the better.

According to Liara's Shadow Broker network, the salarian Special Tasks Force and the Vol Protectorate were co-developing specialized combat implants that could either improve battlefield performance or release proprietary nanobots that could operate with or without medi-gel to aid injured soldiers. If they proved profitable enough, they would retrofit them for non-salarian species. The catch was that the construction of these implants relied on rare elements found primarily in volus space. There wasn't enough to build, mass-produce and distribute both versions. After some thought, I opted for the former.

Finally, we'd recovered the schematics for an advanced series of biotic implants that could interface with hardsuit microcomputers for increased efficiency. They could be programmed to help streamline biotic skills and powers or just increase the amount of damage that a biotic could dish out. The only problem was that I had no personal experience to draw upon. I had to ask Liara, Miranda and Kaidan for their opinions. In the end, I went for the streamlined route. Blowing stuff up was cool and all—which was why I made my previous choices—but throwing out more singularities was even better.

And we would be able to put some of those upgrades to good use: Hackett had another mission and, since I was literally, in the neighbourhood, I volunteered to check things out.

This would be the first mission that I would be switching from the Black Widow sniper rifle back to the Valiant. After several missions, most around Rannoch, I'd confirmed that the Black Widow was definitely more powerful. Unfortunately, it also had more recoil—a lot more recoil, actually—which meant it took more time after each shot to acquire a new target or re-acquire the previous one. In contrast, the Valiant had almost no recoil. That allowed me to line up a second or third shot and get them off faster—a key advantage considering most targets needed more than one shot before they'd go down. Plus, the Valiant had a larger ammo capacity, which reduced the need to scrounge for thermal clips. Finally, it was a lot lighter, which was important when running from point A to point B.

So after saving up all that money to buy the Black Widow, I wound up putting it aside. Figures.

While I finished my weapon selection and loaded up the desired mods, Miranda gave a quick summary: "Cyone is the second planet of the Kypladon system. A typical garden world with a minor historical claim to fame: despite being repeatedly assaulted during the Krogan Rebellions, it was never occupied by more than a token garrison. The asari succeeded in interrupting krogan supply lines at the Citadel relay and drove them off. Today, their surface and orbital antimatter generators provide fuel for asari and allied military starships. The primary fuel depot, operated by a joint turian-asari crew, is located two kilometres south of Cyone's capital, Polos." (8)

"So is that where we're going?" James asked.

"Not sure," I admitted. "All I know is that a 'vital depot' has gone dark and all the allied ships in the region are screaming for fuel. Hackett will brief us on the way down."

We entered the Kodiak shuttle—oh my God, there was so much room in this bucket!—and Cortez finished his pre-flight checks. Admiral Hackett was already waiting for us and began his briefing as we cleared the Normandy and began our descent. "About 72 hours ago, the reactors at a joint turian/asari fuel depot outside Polos went offline."

Guess we were going there after all.

"Scans of the station are cold. It's deserted."

"Any idea what happened to the troops stationed there?" I asked.

"None. But the remaining generators can't pick up the slack, which effectively means no fuel from Cyone. No fuel means no fleet presence in this theatre. The enemy will operate unchecked. I need you to get in there, find out what's going on and get those reactors back online. Captain Riley just arrived onsite, doing preliminary recon. She leads one of our top engineering teams. Liaise with her and get to the bottom of this."

"Understood, Admiral."

"Hackett out."

The trip down was uneventful. We'd just left the shuttle when we were intercepted by a turian. "Commander, Corporal Nyrek reporting. Captain Riley is on point, waiting for you."

"Copy that, Corporal." I couldn't help but ask "How long have you served in this outfit, Corporal?"

"Three tours. Been through thick and thicker. The captain always sees us through."

"And the Hierarchy's fine loaning you out?"

"I was part of a pilot program exchanging Alliance and Hierarchy non-commissioned officers." (9)

Ah. That explained why a turian was hanging out with an Alliance outfit for three tours. I said my goodbyes to the corporal, scanned some tech and a detailed treatment plan for chemical burns and headed out. Along the way, I bumped into another soldier. "Commander Shepard, Alliance Navy," I introduced myself. "I'm looking for Captain Riley."

"Right over there, sir." She pointed to a woman in red armour about fifty metres away.

"Anything you can tell me about this depot?"

"There's a lot of toxic radiation in the area. It's cutting off our access to most of the grid. Survival in those hot spots not possible."

"Is there a problem with the safety systems?" EDI asked.

"Ventilation system's shut down. Might be enough auxiliary power to activate the fans on the main floor, though. There should be a control access point for the ventilation system. After that, well, better hope your hardsuits are spec'd for radiation protection."

Yeah. I'd say.

Without further ado, I headed over to the woman in charge. "Captain Riley?"

"Commander Shepard. It's an honour."

We exchanged salutes before getting down to business. "What can you tell me?"

"Not as much as I'd like. The ventilation system's been shut down. As a result, a lot of radiation's spilled out. It's seriously restricting our ability to perform adequate recon, so I took the liberty of having your shuttle pilot give us an assist."

"Gotcha. Cortez?"

"Commander, Captain Riley has me scanning the facility. It's a dual-reactor system, and the fuel rods for both reactors need to be unlocked before we can initiate a restart, so you'll have to break up into two teams."

"Roger that."

"One of the routes is blocked," Riley added. "I've got my people working to clear out the obstacles."

As if on cue, a door opened up behind us. "Got it, Captain!" someone called out.

"Good work, Kozlo," she replied. "Commander, that corridor leads to one of the reactors. My team will tackle Reactor Two."

"Understood," I nodded. "Keep your eyes open: we're facing an unknown enemy here."

"If they're still on site, my team will help send 'em to hell," she vowed.

Before we moved out, I did a bit of searching. It paid off—and I'm not just talking about the salvage. Looked like our path led through a cargo bay, only most of the walkways were damaged. Thankfully, we could improvise a path using some crates, an overhead crane and the crane control console I found.

As I moved the crates around, Garrus shook his head in dismay. "There were a hundred turians stationed here. Now? Nothing."

"I have a bad feeling about this," Kaidan frowned.

"Yeah, I feel like we're being watched," James agreed.

"Just stay sharp, people," I said. "Let's move out."

That was easier said than done. We moved through the cargo bay and entered a very industrial-looking room. Plain metal gratings and walkways. Lots of crates and tanks everywhere. That sort of thing. No sooner had we started than our dosimeters began lighting up. We were fine where we were, but any further… yeah, that wouldn't be good.

"I have a visual on the fuel rod control," Riley reported, "but radiation is blocking access."

"Same situation here," I replied. "I'll find a way to vent the area."

That only took a few seconds. "I found what looks like the ventilation controls," I reported. "Re-routing auxiliary power… activating systems now."

"Radiation clearing. Console now accessible."

"The path is clear on our end too," Miranda confirmed.

"Then let's unlock those fuel rods."

"Power is restored," the VI told me. "System ready."

It took a bit of wandering and back-tracking, which had nothing to do with any looting I did along the way, but I found and activated the fuel rod controls. "Fuel rods for Reactor One unlocked," I reported.

"Fuel rods unlocked here—wait a minute…"

Cortez broke in. "Commander, Captain: tracking movement in your areas."

I pulled out my sniper rifle. "Defensive positions—enemy inbound."

"We're ready for them."

Scanning around, I quickly guessed the identity of our enemy: last I checked; only the Reapers used barrier engines to give their goons that added bit of protection. "Be advised, we have Reaper forces in the area. Look for any engines generating biotic barriers for them and take them out." I took my own advice before setting a husk on fire.

Not to be outdone, the rest of the squad was getting in the thick of things too. Liara finished off the husk I'd torched while EDI sent an EMP upward. Tracking the pulse, I spotted a Marauder up ahead and took him out. As I reloaded, I spotted Miranda lighting up a husk. James blew it to smithereens with a concussive round and Kaidan tore into another husk who'd gotten caught up in the explosion.

A trio of husks was charging in, only to be stalled by Tali's drone. Garrus fired a pair of head-shots, then loaded a concussive round and used it to detonate Javik's biotics.

And then that was it. Looking around, I got on the comm. "Riley, status."

"One casualty, but we're clear here."

"We're clear too."

Then the ground shook. That was probably a bad thing.

"Warning: coolant leaks detected. Reactors One and Two. System restart impossible."

Yeah, definitely bad.

"Commander, Captain: I'm patching Lieutenant Adams through to you," Cortez said.

"He's our chief engineer, Riley," I explained. "Hopefully he'll have an idea or two."

"Commander, Captain: this is Adams. I've been apprised of the situation. Looking over the schematics, I'd say your best bet is to seal the moderator tanks. Each reactor has two tanks. That should stop the leaks and allow you to safely restart the reactors."

"I see the Reactor Two tanks," Riley said. "Moving to seal."

So did I. Thankfully, each tank had a big button on it. Hitting it caused the LED lights surrounding it to turn from an angry red to a nice cool blue. "Tank One is sealed and stable," the VI said overhead.

The miniature quake told me not to rest on my laurels. "Everyone split up and look for the other tank," I ordered.

As we searched, Riley checked in. "Patching seems to be working. Only one more to go here."

"Same," I reported. "Hang on…" Miranda was waving at me. "We might have our last tank. Shepard out."

Sure enough, she'd found it. She even waited for me to come over and hit the button. Very thoughtful of her. "Tank Two is sealed and stable."

"Commander, the core has stabilized," Cortez reported. "Reactivation can go ahead. Sending coordinates for the reactor console now."

"Got it. Riley, you in position?"

"Affirmative. Awaiting your word."

"Standby." I went back to the reactor console. "Initiating restart."

Cortez got on the comm almost immediately. "Commander, Captain: I'm reading a lot of movement—heading your way!"

"Incoming!" Riley warned.

"Lock and load!" James shouted.

While the squad found defensive positions, I began scanning the area for a barrier engine. Just in case. My hunch paid off: I found one and took it out. Then I found another and took that one out.

The husk charging at us with a biotic barrier protecting it told me there was a third one out there. Liara ripped the partial barrier apart before EDI launched an explosive bolt of plasma.

"They're coming in from above!" Riley warned.

Miranda and I let off a pair of fireballs, which James and Kaidan detonated. Spotting a wounded husk, I finished it off and reloaded. In the process of loading a fresh thermal clip, I spotted the third barrier engine and tried to take it out. Unfortunately, I had a bad angle and wasted a bullet. As I switched positions, I spotted a more pressing problem.

Raising my sniper rifle, I blew through the shields of a nearby Marauder, then sent some plasma streaming towards a husk that was a little too close for comfort. Someone else—Javik, I think—hammered a second husk with his biotics. Garrus and Tali blew those husks to kingdom come before I used the rest of my thermal clip to take out another husk and finish off that Marauder.

Another thermal clip loaded. Sixteen shots left—fifteen after an effective, but uncomfortable, shot at a husk's… crotch. Hey, if it didn't like it, it should've stayed still! Another headshot at a husk. Up ahead, there was another Marauder. Miranda zapped its shields with an EMP and I still had one more shot left, so I finished it off.

While reloading, I realized that a third Marauder had flanked us. Tali's drone bought us enough time for Garrus to deploy an EMP of his own and me to finish it off. Twelve shots left.

"Commander, we're being overrun! Position indefensible! We're not gonna make it!"

And things just kept getting better. "Hold tight! I'll send backup!"

"Roger that!"

I quickly made a decision. "Garrus, I'm counting on you."

"Understood. Team Three: let's move out!"

Just as Garrus, Tali and Javik left, a door opened and a couple new guys crashed the party. Two of them were Marauders. The other... was a Brute. Aw, crap. "Focus fire on the Brute! Weapons free!"

I could tell that damn barrier engine was still in play because it had a partial barrier protecting it. As if who knows how many tons of armour plating and muscle wasn't bad enough. Liara managed to strip those barriers to shreds. EDI followed up with a rather explosive fireball. Miranda and James pulled off a biotics and concussive round special. I waited until the last minute, launched another fireball, then dove out of the way before the Brute smashed me into pulp. Believe it or not, a flurry of frantic gunfire managed to finish it off so we could concentrate on the Marauder. Kaidan drove off one of them with an EMP. I forced the second to retreat with a point-blank sniper round. While I reloaded, EDI and Liara hit them with another round of EMPs and biotics. The resulting explosion finished one off and seriously wounded the other—which meant a single shot from yours truly was enough to finish the job.

Eight shots left. Great.

"You're clear for the moment, Commander," Cortez reported. "Can't raise Captain Riley."

Even better. "What about Garrus?"

"Nothing, Commander. No one's answering my hails."

Wonderful.

"But I'm tracking some movement towards the extraction point. Finalize the restart, then we can rendezvous there."

"That's as good a plan as any," I agreed. "Stand by."

I thought I'd spotted another control console during the frantic firefight. Sure enough, it did something other than provide loot or schematics. "Initializing final startup… now," I announced.

"Restart is complete," the VI announced.

"Reactor fully powered and operational, Commander," Cortez told me.

"All right. We're on our way."

It's safe to say we double-timed it to the extraction point. We all wanted to finish this mission and head back to the Normandy. And if there were hostiles in the way, we wanted to clear them out. And if there were friendlies in the area…

"Shepard. Took you long enough. What kept you?"

…then we wanted to see them again and make sure they were all right. "Got lost," I grinned. "Tried asking for directions, but the locals weren't very friendly."

Riley stepped forward and extended her hand. "Commander, you saved our asses. My team is in your debt."

We shook hands. "You should thank Garrus."

"She already did," he shrugged.

"Good job, people," I declared. "Let's head back to the shuttles."

I reported back to Hackett as soon as I got back. "Good work down there, Shepard," he said. Without that depot, the entire theatre would be at risk."

"What are the odds the Reapers will be back?" I wanted to know.

"I'm allocating a task force to maintain and defend the facility. If the Reapers come back, we'll be ready. On another note, I read Captain Riley's report. It says she and her team wouldn't have made it without you."

"I'm glad I could help."

"I'll keep you posted on new developments. Hackett out."

Yeah, that was it. Short and sweet. Hackett wasn't one to waste time on idle chit-chat, especially when he knew both of us had a lot on our plate.

That was the last bit of excitement for a while. We spent the next few days travelling to various systems for random exploration and salvaging.

After the second day, EDI brought up a concern: "The envelope of mass-free space we crate when we travel at FTL limits any impact of micro-collisions with ambient dust. Nevertheless, some ablation does occur at subliminal speeds. Normandy will need maintenance before the year is out."

"If we live that long," I promised, "I will totally spring for it."

That did bring up a point, though. We'd been flying around the galaxy and stamping out fires for several weeks now. Time for another resupply at the Citadel. I had some things to do and people to meet, after all. So I ordered Joker to set course for the Serpent Nebula and sent a few e-mails to people who I'd been meaning to catch up with.

The night before we docked, Miranda and I had a couple sessions. For work, not sex. The first involved a sitrep on the war, which was probably why she chose my—our—cabin, with its SCIF mode and overall privacy.

"Historically, the geth have faced nothing but hostility from organics," she began. "As a result, every geth platform is armed, shielded and built to withstand combat. Their networking ability, bolstered by primes like the ones Legion liberated from the fighter server, allow for instantaneous updates on enemy tactics and positions. And they regularly employ turrets and drones to minimize losses of networked platforms. As a result, they have the largest, and possibly best equipped infantry force in the galaxy. Admiral Hackett has been quick to deploy companies and platoons of geth throughout the galaxy to assist our forces."

"That would explain a lot," I replied, showing her a recent e-mail:

To: Sergeant Cavanagh
From: Sergeant Ichii

Next time, you want to warn me that the geth are our friends and that maybe we're not supposed to shoot the big robots? I almost pissed myself when these primes started dropping out of the sky and mopping up the Reapers. We fired a few rounds at them until we realized they weren't firing back. Then this one comes over, said they're 'allied assistance' and asks for our status.

I'm not complaining they saved my squad, but I'm never living down having to apologize to a geth for shooting one of its damn lights off.

"Thankfully, the geth weren't too offended about this incident of friendly fire," I concluded dryly.

"Quite," Miranda smiled. "You might also be interested to know that the Council sent the geth several shipments of rare materials to upgrade their infantry platforms."

"Really?"

"They were reluctant to do so, but acquiesced after your interview with Ms. Wong aired. Apparently you made quite a strong case about their value as allies."

"Nothing but the truth," I shrugged.

"True. The geth fleet is equally formidable. Every ship—even exploration, mining and transport vessels—is equipped for combat. They've built almost as many dreadnoughts as the turians, since they weren't bound by the Treaty of Farixen's limitations. And their cyberwarfare suites are second to none. Admiral Hackett reports that they've launched over a dozen attacks on Reaper supply lines, causing a significant amount of disruption."

"How about the quarians?" I asked.

"Many of their ships sustained some sort of damage. However, repairs are almost complete. In the meantime, they've committed whatever vessels they could spare to assist the turians—mostly from the Civilian and Patrol Fleets."

"Not the Heavy Fleet?"

"No. It seems the Heavy Fleet lost several dozen frigates that had suffered earlier damage and had not been able to repair themselves in time."

Damn it. I remembered an earlier argument between Gerrel and Raan. He had sent his ships out to engage geth fighters before the Flotilla could be flanked and wanted the Patrol Fleet's support. Raan and I withheld that support. At the time, we thought he would get carried away with the urge to blow up geth and overextend their perimeter. But if I had sided with him, maybe those frigates—and their crews—would have been saved. Hindsight's always 20-20.

Miranda hesitated for a moment. "Do you remember when you helped Legion convince geth heretics to join the consensus?"

"Yeah."

"Legion mentioned that their return would significantly bolster their processing power and efficiency. As a result, geth losses were not as serious as they could have been…"

"…and quarian losses were greater than they would have been if I had deleted the geth heretics," I sighed. Unintended consequences bit us in the collective ass once again.

"Do you regret that choice now?" she asked.

"No," I shook my head. "At the time, I wasn't about to condone genocide. And I didn't know the quarians would disregard my warnings and begin another war."

"Quite so." Miranda definitely felt the same way. If nothing else, it was clear she didn't think it was fair for me to blame myself for the short-sightedness of the quarians. "And the geth have committed resources to assisting the quarians in their repairs."

"Tali told me how the geth are helping the quarians in recolonizing Rannoch and boosting their immune systems. If that's any indication, I'd say the Flotilla will be back in the fight before you know it."

"Agreed."

"Any news from our other allies?"

"Well, the turian spec ops team we encountered in the Argos Rho cluster have concluded their operation and are now ready to assist with the war effort. But I would say the greatest news is the level of support we've received from the Vol Protectorate. They've given Admiral Hackett operational control of their sole dreadnought—the Kwunu."

I gave an impressed whistle at that news. From what I'd heard, the Kwunu was stuffed to the gills with Thanix cannons. To put it in perspective, I upgraded the Normandy last year with a measly two Thanix cannons, and that was enough to carve right through the Collector cruiser. The volus had certainly gone for quality over quantity with their one and only dreadnought. And now it was on our side. "Okay," I managed. "We could use that. Glad to hear the volus are pitching in."

"Oh, that's not all. The volus fabrication units we recovered from the Aethon Cluster have been sent to the Crucible. And the engineers we rescued from Satu Arrd are busy using those fabrication units to mass-produce custom plastics for the Crucible's superstructure. Surprisingly, their employer—Elkoss Combine—has not only agreed to reassign the engineers for the duration of the project, but have waived all proprietary claims to any new compounds created in the process."

Now that was surprising, given how obsessed the volus were with mercantile endeavors. But war had a way of forcing you to reassess your priorities. The good will that this would earn if we actually survived this war wouldn't hurt, either.

"While the Crucible is still a long way from completion, it is already providing us with a strategic advantage: it appears that it is capable of remotely connecting with the command switches of every mass relay. On the advice of his engineers, Admiral Hackett has ordered the interferometric array we salvaged from the Hercules system to be installed into the Crucible. Normally, such arrays would simply analyze planetary land masses or stellar system astrophysical properties. In conjunction with the Crucible, it can give a real-time map of the entire galaxy—including the position of each and every Reaper."

Holy crap! Strategic advantage indeed!

"And before you ask, I've already put in a request to use that data to supplement the intel I am receiving from Delta Source."

Sweet! "How about the asari? Like that scientist we extracted from the Silean Nebula."

"You mean Dr. Jelize? Yes, she was quite grateful for rescuing her before her research station was overrun by Reaper forces. And her theoretical work on the capacity of nanocircuitry to solve complex VI behavioural problems has merit. That's why she was invited to join the Crucible project."

"Really?"

"Yes. She's currently heading the department building its circuit boards."

"There's a Crucible Project Department of Circuit Boards?" I asked incredulously.

"It may not have such a formalized and official title, but yes."

I opened my mouth. Closed it. Shrugged. Life as we knew it was in mortal peril, but bureaucracy was apparently eternal. "Okay. Sure. What else?"

"You may remember the Nefrane and the Cybaen. Both cruisers were on a routine patrol when they ran into a couple Reapers. They managed to escape through the mass relay, but had to forego the usual transit calculations and safeguards. As a result, they were scattered throughout the Athena Nebula and sustained serious damage. They were very grateful for our assistance."

Yeah, I remembered that. Adams, Tali and the rest of Engineering had worked around the clock helping repair each and every one of them, at least to the point that they could move and shoot again. Hell, just about everybody who'd ever took shop class or picked up a welding torch had been drafted. "How grateful are they?"

"Both ships have been assigned to Admiral Hackett's command, rather than joining one of the asari fleets. Given your penchant for minutiae, I thought you might be interested in the following: the Nefrane fought in the Battle of the Citadel, and still sports battle damage from the scores of geth fighters it fended off. Her crew refused to remove the scars, considering them badges of honour and a reminder of how they almost didn't make it. As for the Cybaen, it bears the unusual distinction of being the only cruiser with dreadnought-level kinetic barriers."

"How did that happen?"

"An uncharacteristic series of blunders during the initial stages of its construction gave her the wrong drive core. The engineers chose to redesign the ship rather than replace it with a properly-sized core."

"Nice screw-up," I marvelled.

"I'm sure the crew would agree with you. While we're on the subject of engineers, the asari sent architectural engineers to stress-test the Crucible. After all, it would be a shame if it tore itself in half upon activation because of unforeseen design flaws."

"That would be putting it mildly," I agreed. "Oh, while we're on the subject of asari, did we ever get a straight answer out of those scientists we found?"

"Yes. It seems they were trying to develop polymers with high heat resistance, zero conductivity and cheap production costs. In order to prevent academic and corporate theft of their research, they deliberately moved their science ships to the Orisoni system so they could pursue their research in peace. Incidentally, one of their prototypes may be ideal for insulating the Crucible's venting chambers. When told of the high security surrounding the Crucible, they were eager to join the project.

"Moving on: before the Reapers wiped them out, the chemical engineers on Cyone were experimenting with different mixtures of various compounds and helium-3 to make a more efficient fuel. I took the liberty of sending one of the new formulae to the depots supplying ships transporting major loads of material to the Crucible. It should speed up the overall building process.

"Up until recently, the ExoGeni Corporation had maintained a team of scientists at the Zhu's Hope colony on Feros, studying the few Prothean artifacts scattered around the area. They have become experts on the subject—not to the same extent as Liara, for instance, but enough that their offer to lend their familiarity and expertise was welcomed by the Crucible project.

"The element zero converter we found in the Micah system has been sent to the Crucible project as well, thus allowing element zero to be mined, refined and supplied without delay. The fuel pods we scavenged from the debris field in the Valhallan Threshold were also sent there, where they will serve as emergency reservoirs for the Crucible. You can probably guess where the advanced power relays we retrieved from Camaron and the experimental Haptic Optics Array we obtained from Canrum were sent."

"Doesn't take a genius to figure that out," I agreed. "Anything else on your mind?"

"In terms of our galactic readiness? No. In terms of your combat training…"

"Gotcha," I nodded. "Let's go down to the shuttle bay."

Miranda and I would have preferred to conduct these 'war asset updates' and sword training in the same room. But neither my cabin, Liara's quarters, nor the War Room had enough room to move around. The shuttle bay did have enough space—hence the boxing match James and I had all those months ago—but we didn't have the time, equipment or resources to retrofit the shuttle bay with the necessary electronic countermeasures. So we had to make do with what we had.

Every once in a while, Miranda had added a new wrinkle to my training regimen. First, it was the proper way to hold a sword. Then it was about where and how to position my feet. We'd only recently began exploring scenarios for holstering my guns—or simply dropping them if I didn't have time—and properly drawing my sword—under the logical premise that Kai Leng or one of his cybernetic ninja buddies wouldn't sit by while I fumbled my way through and if I wasn't properly set for the first few attacks I wouldn't survive very long.

The latest trick was giving me a sparring partner. Not Miranda, this time—she wanted to evaluate my technique from the sidelines. No, she had somehow gotten her hands on an old drone, tacked on a couple arms and a sparring sword, and modified the holographic shell so it looked like an actual human being instead of a rotating sphere. I was surprised she had gone to all that trouble for such a low-tech training aid instead of loading a program into my hardsuit that could generate a virtual opponent.

She shook her head when I mentioned that to her. "We'd have to recalibrate the suit's haptic feedback systems after every session."

"Not if we create a separate set of parameters. Something like a 'training mode'."

"The last thing I want is something that could activate while you're on an actual mission, either by accident or if someone hacked your systems."

"We could always get another hardsuit. One dedicated strictly for training purposes."

"Another hardsuit that's modified to the exact same specifications as the one you take into combat? You don't have the credits or the time for that, do you?"

I could point to all the time I spend wandering around the ship and harassing the crew, but I conceded the point. "All right. Let's do this."

Miranda spawned several more drones from her omni-tool, which were intended to simulate hostiles. I spent the next couple minutes running, dodging and shooting at them—with blanks. Cortez would have a fit if I shot up the shuttle bay with actual bullets—before the training drone attacked. Judging that I had enough time, I returned my sniper rifle to its slot on my back and unsheathed my sword—boy, that sounded dirty. The drone attacked once, twice, three times. If I hadn't blocked the strikes and it had been a real blade, I would've been decapitated.

Then the drone adjusted its aim and attacked again. By the time I realized it wasn't going for an overhead strike, it was too late. I hopped back as the sword whacked against my ribs. Well, chestplate, but you get the idea.

"Hold," Miranda called out. The drone froze. Taking a step forward, she activated her omni-tool. A few taps pulled up a holographic mirror image of me and the drone. Apparently she'd recorded the whole thing. With another tap, she started the recording.

"You didn't move your feet," she said once the clip ended. "It would be difficult to adopt an effective defensive stance or begin any counteroffensive while in a stationary position. You have to be mindful of your positioning."

"Right."

"Again."

This time, I went on the offensive. The drone parried my attack and quickly responded. High, low, high, high—damn it!

"Hold." Miranda paused the drone and replayed the latest clip. "Better use of your feet, but now you have to watch your hands. When fighting with a two-handed grip, you need to keep some distance between them. More importantly, you need to start anticipating your opponent's next move. During the last few parries, you were reacting. In a real duel, you might not have that much time."

"Okay," I nodded, my thoughts racing. Anticipate my opponent's next move. Be proactive. Seize the initiative…

"Again."

This time, I broke into a full-out run, yelling out all the way. The drone paused, assessing my seemingly suicidal charge, before bracing itself to skewer me on its sword. At the last moment, I dove down and rolled between the holographic legs. Smoothly rising to my feet, I thrust low at the hip before slashing high. Both attacks were deflected. My next strike was a horizontal slice. The drone's sword blocked with such force that it tore my weapon from my grip.

That was exactly what I wanted.

Now that my right hand was inside the blocking angle of the drone's weapon, I continued swinging. At the last moment, I made a fist and punched the drone squarely in what would have been an actual opponent's belly.

The impact drove the drone back. Before it could recover, I generated an omni-blade and took a single swipe. A clatter rang through the shuttle bay as the drone's sparring sword—and its left hand dropped to the deck. I lunged forward and brought the omni-blade down, slicing through the holographic flesh, into and through the drone. The two halves of the drone joined its sword on the deck, spitting up sparks fitfully.

I turned to Miranda and waited.

"Better footwork. Good use of initiative."

High praise, I guess. Though I was kind of surprised that she was taking this development so well. "You, uh, don't mind that I chopped up your drone?"

"I have more where that one came from," she shrugged. To prove her point, she sent another command through her omni-tool. As I watched, a new drone—complete with arms, sparring sword and holographic body—came forward.

"This time: no omni-blade," she told me. "Your improvisational skills are already honed enough. I want you to focus on improving your technique."

"Gotcha."

"All right. Let's go again…"

(1): I couldn't have put it better myself.

(2): We would eventually learn the answer to that question.

(3): While there are several areas with that name, Kaidan was referring to a region of the southern mainland coast of British Columbia, Canada, within the United North American States. It is situated on the eastern shore of the Strait of Georgia, just northwest of the Greater Vancouver area.

(4): A human military slang acronym for 'Situation Normal, All Fucked/Fouled Up.' While slightly crude, I must admit it was accurate.

(5): He was right, of course. That interview gave more insight into the geth—and the quarians—than any other sources or references to date.

(6): The name change signifies that Admiral Raan had chosen to settle on Rannoch rather than declare a new ship her home.

(7): Shepard's account of quarian-geth history and the nature of the geth was indeed the most informative source of information in the last three centuries. The insights offered and his reliability as a source went a long way to countering the usual plethora of ill-informed opinions on extranet forums.

(8): Miranda was also irritated that the squad she'd gathered expressly to deal with these missions was once again unable to deal with this distraction themselves, though she kept those feelings to herself. At Shepard's suggestion, she also omitted certain details from her summary, such as population, orbital distance and period, planetary radius, average day length, atmospheric pressure and surface gravity.

(9): While similar programs had been suggested, and at least one had been implemented, in the past, this particular program would not have gotten off the drawing board were it not for Shepard's decision to save the Council during the Battle of the Citadel in 2183.