Notes:

DMZ - De-Militarized Zone

Ionúin Álainn - beautiful beloved (Gaelic)

Kalros - legendary thresher maw known as "the mother from which all other thresher maws spawn" and the largest thresher maw yet seen

Klixen- insectoid species resembling crabs or beetles, with fire breathing capabilities and which explode violently when killed

Kruban - Krogan mythological paradise in which honorable warriors feast on the internal organs of their enemies

Ru'shan - "Child of my Blood" (Krogan)

SpecOps - Special Operations

Varren - dog-like organics, tend to attack in packs

Vaul - ancient Krogan deity, a god who stood watch for the enemies of his pantheon

Ynei - Krogan; closest translation is "shooting star" (Source: CDN)

Return of the Krogan

Tuchanka, Krogan DMZ, At Large – 14 Jan 2189

"About damn time you got here, Shepard," Wrex growled at the Spectre before looking at her bondmate and smiling. "And it's always a pleasure to see you, Liara."

"Had some business on Thessia that needed doing before we could head this way, Wrex…" Shepard smirked and punched the old Krogan on the shoulder. "Besides… it's not even 9AM! What time did you think we were going to get here for a memorial service that starts after lunch? I actually thought we arrived at the capital rather early, so we'd have time to get caught up."

"That's what you get for thinking like a Human, Shepard." Wrex offered up one of his toothy grins to soften his words. "The memorial starts after lunch… but we were supposed to leave Urdnot and head out to the hunting grounds early this morning to kill a Thresher Maw in their honor… and you're late. You should have gotten here last night!"

Liara chuckled softly and shook her head. "First of all, you never gave us an arrival time… and, secondly, you are well aware of the elections happening on Thessia today… so, we entered our electronic votes and remained only long enough for all of us to receive our vote confirmations."

Shepard frowned and added on, "And, with everything that's been going on over the past couple of years, we definitely didn't want to miss it…" Her expression lightened as she continued, "… especially since it was my first election!"

"Ah," Wrex harrumphed. "I suppose that's reason enough… but get in the Tomkah. Everyone else is already waiting at the hunting grounds."

Shepard started to beg for a delay but stopped mid-sentence as Riana and Livos stepped up and dropped her and Liara's gear bags onto the ramp. Livos snickered, a smirk on her face as she said, "As soon as I heard him say 'hunting grounds,' I figured you would both be needing these."

Shepard's eyes suddenly lit up and her attention darted back to the Krogan Overlord. "Wrex! Is there a particular format for this hunt?"

"Kind of…" He stopped and shook his head. "No, not really… not the hunt, anyway. The memorial is more ceremonial, but the hunt? We just make it up as we go along, depending on how respected the dead were." His eyes narrowed, suspicious of Shepard's sudden exuberant interest. "Why do you ask?"

"Because we're hunting a Thresher Maw… and a certain party among us hasn't completed her Rite of Passage yet… She's still just an 'honorary' member of Urdnot."

Immediately catching on to Shepard's meaning and seeing the expression on Liara's face caused Wrex to erupt in laughter, hardly able to manage his response. "By Vaul's almighty quad, Shepard! That's brilliant… but I'll have to see if the Shaman is available!"

Despite her numerous protests, once the idea was lodged in Wrex's head, there was no talking him out of it and, much to Liara's chagrin, the Shaman claimed it to be an honor to be asked to officiate for one such as Liara T'Soni… the one-quarter-Krogan hero of Tuchanka. He immediately ceased his final preparations for the later memorial and asked Liara to name those who would serve as the members of her Krantt for the purpose of the Rite.

Her eyes glittering in annoyance, she answered rather quickly. "Urdnot Wrex and…" She paused briefly as if contemplating the second name and finally added, "Spectre Shepard."

As the Shaman began to speak about how unusual it was to request the Krogan Overlord to serve as Krantt, Wrex interrupted him. "For Liara? Absolutely! We've fought many a brilliant battle together… I wouldn't skip this for all the Ryncol on Tuchanka!"

"Understood, Overlord." He looked to Shepard, who also answered to the affirmative, and then turned back to the prospect. "So, you have two Krantt… the Rite allows you three… who…"

He didn't finish before both Livos and Riana promptly volunteered, then stared at one another in something akin to surprise. Livos immediately dipped her head in acquiescence. "You are Lady Liara's First. Accompanying her is your right."

The Shaman clapped his hands three times. "Then let us go to the arena! Time grows short."

Finding no way to gracefully decline once the Shaman had agreed to it, a resigned Liara climbed into the Tomkah. Sensing a growing reticence in Shepard, she reached over to take her bondmate's hand. {Do not worry yourself over this, as I am not upset with you… nor is it me whom I am concerned about during this Rite, Shepard. You are still having headaches, so I nearly named Riana instead of you… who ended up coming anyway.} She offered a quick squeeze of the hand she held before finishing her thought. {I felt you very earnestly wanted to do this with me, but you must promise that you will not Charge anything.}

{I swear, Li… no Charging anytime in the immediate future unless something unexpectedly deadly happens. In that case, I'll take whatever punishment you deem fit to dole out… so long as both of us are alive to discuss it.}

{If that is truly the case, Siame, I will thank the Goddess that we are both still here and leave it at that.} The conversation wandered off onto other topics, the two smiling at one another like a newly bonded couple until the Tomkah screeched to a stop in a billowing cloud of dust, having arrived at the testing grounds.

Following packs of Varren in Wave One and a multitude of fire-breathing Klixen in Wave Two of the Rite, Liara exclaimed, "Goddess! So many! Please tell me that only one Thresher Maw will show up for this?"

Laughing good-humoredly, Shepard reloaded her shotgun before tucking it in the weapon sleeve located at her lower back, swapping it for her Arc Projector. "Yup. Only one. Just keep your fingers crossed that it isn't Kalros who decides to attend the Rite!"

Wrex roared with laughter as Liara blanched, but assuaged her fear quickly by adding, "Won't happen… She hasn't left the Wastes immediately surrounding the Shroud since the war. Always makes me wonder if she's keeping that damned Reaper Destroyer as a pet, buried deep in the sand!"

It was Shepard's turn to laugh. "Nah… The red wave would have killed it… but that doesn't mean she isn't guarding the souvenir from her biggest victory ever!"

All jovial chatter stopped instantly upon the appearance of the Thresher Maw. The team dodged its acid spit, constantly whittling away at its armored carapace whenever they didn't have an open shot at the blue, tongue-like structure, identified by Wrex as a weak spot.

"You couldn't have told me that before we helped Grunt?" Shepard shouted as she hit the ground and rolled to avoid the latest acid attack.

"We didn't realize it until after that fight…" Wrex laughed as his charged Graal Spike Thrower punched yet another massive hole in the Maw's hide. "With interest in the tank-born Grunt being so high, the fight was recorded… and your penchant for headshots drew a lot of attention because they seemed to really damage the Maw…" He paused again as his Graal barked and he reloaded. "It seemed to us that you were using that bright blue tongue as a target… we assumed in an effort to jam your explosive ammo down its throat… to great effect!"

"Well, shit. I guess I did…" Shepard dived again to the ground in a combat roll, popping up to launch another powerful electrical attack against the beast. "I just figured it was a great way to bypass its armor."

"It is, no doubt… but the Maw actually reacts more violently to direct hits than it does to those that miss and slide down its throat." Grunting with another shot, Wrex added, "Our scientists still haven't figured out why… We don't exactly have a captive specimen to do tests on."

Suddenly, the fight was over; a warp from Liara connecting with the exact point Wrex was talking about – the base of the creature's blue tongue, right where it disappeared into its throat. The tongue actually separated from the body and the Maw released a garbled squeal, collapsing into the sand to writhe in pain for mere seconds before expiring under the Tuchanka sun.

"Great shot, T'Soni!" Wrex bellowed in approval. "And fitting that you be the one to make the final kill shot!"

Pressed for time, the Shaman immediately stepped in to quiet the small, congratulatory crowd of witnesses and complete the Rite, with Overlord Urdnot Wrex enthusiastically welcoming Liara as the newest official member of his clan before pushing them onward. "The others have also completed their kill and are on their way from the hunting grounds to the City of the Ancients… They'll likely arrive before we do, so Grunt is in charge of starting the preparations for the Honor Feast, where we will gloriously declare victory to Vaul in the names of the dead!"

"City of the Ancients?" Shepard's eyebrows raised as she asked the question. "What about Kalros? Won't she be attracted to all the noise? I can't imagine any Krogan feast or ceremony being quiet!"

A course laugh erupted from the big Krogan. "Told you. She hasn't left the wastes immediately surrounding the Shroud… and I do mean immediately. She stays on the flat sands and out of the city… Bakara thinks Kalros may be using her victory site as a nesting ground… but no male Thresher has been good enough for her yet, so the area surrounding the Shroud remains empty except for the Mother of all Maws." He grinned and added, "Makes for an incredible guardian!" He suddenly turned more somber. "No one will ever corrupt the Shrouds again, Shepard. I still don't know how we managed to rebuild the first one in nearly the exact same spot as the old one without Kalros making snacks out of the workers, but they did. Never saw a bunch of quieter Krogan!"

"The threat of getting eaten by Kalros must have been a really good motivator." Liara's initial chuckle faded away as another possibility struck her. "Or, Kalros is more than we believe her to be… actually smart enough to realize Tuchanka needs the Shroud to recover."

"That's a scary thought, Liara." Wrex growled and made a face. "To think there is intelligence behind what we always thought to be just a simple killing machine driven by survival instinct? Not sure I like that."

"And I don't care to test the theory," added Shepard. "Have you had any other ceremonies at the City of the Ancients since the end of the war?"

"Always have and always will, Shepard," Wrex growled. "No matter who or what moves in as a neighbor, The Hollows will always be our sacred meeting place, even if it is where my father attempted to kill me. It is the place of our ancestors and part of the old city… which, by the way, we have begun to rebuild – all without Kalros raising even a cloud of dust in our direction." His beady eyes shifted their focus to Liara as he continued, "Which makes me seriously wonder about you being right. Didn't that Prothean Pyjak say something about them being smaller 50,000 years ago?"

Liara stared at Wrex for a moment, wondering if he was taunting her or honestly didn't remember the story correctly. When she finally answered, her tone was completely flat. "He was speaking of the Yahg, Wrex. Not Thresher Maws."

Shepard raised a hand to unsuccessfully hide her smirk, which earned her a glare from Liara as well. "Still not funny, Shepard." Liara huffed and continued, "But the drawings in the City of the Ancients do tell us the Maws were around back then… and it is only logical to assume they have also evolved since that time, having lived so long."

"Yeah, well, Earth cockroaches have been around millions of years, too… but they've never evolved into anything better than they were... still just a base insect," Shepard said thoughtfully. "They've simply evolved to survive… not necessarily to better themselves."

Wrex let out a hearty laugh. "I've seen your cockroaches, Shepard… and I don't think you should let Kalros know you're comparing her to that annoying little insect. She just might take offense and change her disposition toward you!"

Their mostly playful banter came to an end as the Tomkah slid to a tire screeching halt yet again, this time at the City of the Ancients. Wrex popped the doors open as he roared, "Good! We're here!" He wasted no time jumping out; with the Shaman following close behind him, they quickly disappeared into the looming structure.

Liara and Shepard climbed out quickly, fully intending to follow, but came to an abrupt halt as soon as they looked upon their destination. "I'll be damned!" Shepard exclaimed; her eyes wide as she looked around in delighted surprise.

"It is positively stunning!" Liara was overjoyed, watching a Krogan couple cooing over a swaddled newborn. "And there are children here!"

Krogan of all ages were arriving for the memorial from a variety of locations and clans, based on the colors of their attire. It made sense, given the ceremony was honoring four deceased Aralakh warriors, each one from a different clan. Grunt's voice interrupted their musings. "Of course, there are children… because you made it possible, Battlemaster… You, your team… and Mordin." Grunt flashed a grin. "You'll even see a plaque inside honoring all of you. You, I can understand… but a Salarian? I'm surprised it hasn't been torn down or defaced by some old-timer who remembers the start of the Genophage."

"It gives me hope that the Krogan are actually changing." Liara turned to the young warrior and smiled. "Good to see you again, Grunt."

"You too, Liara…" Jerking his thumb back over his shoulder. "The old fossil is wondering why you didn't follow him in… 'fraid he's gonna die of old age before you manage to get in there, standing out here gawping with your mouths hanging open." He paused and chuckled again, watching the expressions on the faces of their guests. "His words, not mine."

"But the city is… staggering! Why didn't you tell us how much had already been rebuilt?" Liara still couldn't tear her eyes away from the scene before them. "We had no idea so much has already been accomplished!"

Urdnot Bakara had ambled out, also wondering what was taking them so long, and answered reverently, "With the curing of the Genophage, Krogan who have been gone for centuries have returned home with hope in their hearts. Physical labor… rebuilding their broken world… is good for all of them to do and see. Thanks to you, your crew, and Mordin, resignation has been replaced by the courage to once again face our future, now that it is not so… fatalistic. Just as the cure to the Genophage has healed their bodies, seeing children being born alive is a treatment that heals even the most damaged of souls."

Shepard and Liara both wiped tears from their eyes and smiled at the lead female. Liara reached over and laid a hand gently on her armor-clad forearm. "Thank you, Bakara. Seeing this is the best news we've received in a long time. I am so happy for you!"

"Agreed." Shepard drew a deep breath and let it out as a contented sigh. "But, I suppose, we'd best get ourselves inside before Wrex sends an escort to retrieve us."

"Too late… because that would be me." Bakara laughed, a surprisingly melodic sound coming from a Krogan, and continued, "He would never truly do such a thing, as you are honored guests. But, yes. It is past time for the ceremony to begin… and everyone is waiting on us to arrive."

Seeing them enter, the Shaman nodded in recognition and turned to the crowd, beginning his eulogy. He spoke of their bravery and the honorable deaths of Tavarog Gund, Foreloc Gurut, Akod Argag, and Th'ar Targug in battle with a cowardly enemy. At one point, he shouted, "Rather than face the might of only four Krogan, they blew up their own ship in order to consign our warriors to the void! Those of Aralakh who remained made the mutineers pay for their cowardice with their very lives… for each and every Krogan they killed, we killed at least one hundred of them!"

When the roar of the crowd quieted, he continued with his tribute to the fallen warriors of Aralakh Company, stopping again only when he was completely finished with their story. The assembled Krogan fell completely silent in their expectation of what came next. The Shaman looked to Overlord Wrex, who solemnly pulled a torch from its sconce on the wall and handed it to him without a word.

Taking the blazing flame, the Shaman climbed the short flight of steps to the collection of funeral biers, all four sitting upon the stage located in the center of The Hollows. Walking around the outside edge of the stage, he slowly set the flame to each of the four biers; as the pyres climbed higher into the sky with each passing second, the Shaman shouted his blessing above the growing roar of the fire. "Each of you has earned your place at Vaul's side. Enjoy the feast on the plains of Kruban, happily gnawing on the organs of your vanquished enemies for eternity!"

Urdnot, Tuchanka, Krogan DMZ – 14 Jan 2189

Once they returned to the capital city, Wrex and Bakara retreated to their home, along with the entire crew of the Knight Shade. Bakara relaxed and removed her headdress as she said, "Please, do come in and make yourselves comfortable; as clan, our home is yours."

"Yeah… and you can even eat and drink. Knowing you were coming, Bakara special ordered some of your favorites, Shepard… and some eezo-heavy foods for you as well, T'Soni." Wrex chuckled and added, "As for Dextro-based crew, Aralakh may have… liberated… some of the pirated foodstuffs from the Neema before they left, knowing a victory celebration of some kind would be coming up. Vaul would split my head and eat my brains if I didn't think about taking care of all the clan guests who would be attending… and the Knight Shade is as much an inter-species zoo as the Normandy ever was!"

"Wrex!"

Bakara's growl was met with laughter as Wrex countered, "What? It's true! Everyone on the outside stared at us all, wondering who would eat who in the end… Few honestly understand how we could all work together, much less believe we all actually liked one another!"

The entire discussion about the appropriateness of Wrex and Grunt's 'acquisition' strategy was quickly ended as a small bolt of red shot in through the doorway and collided with Shepard, shouting "Ynei!"

Shepard took a step back from the force of the collision, then reached down and scooped the squirming little, head-butting Krogan up in her hands. The Spectre held her safely at arms' length as the small tyke kicked her feet in frustration, her stubby, tiny hands reaching out as she repeated, "Ynei!"

"What are you?" Samantha smiled at Eve. "Almost a year old, now?" Her eyes shifted to Bakara as she asked, "And what in the galaxy is 'Ynei?' My translator didn't touch it."

"The closest translation is 'shooting star,' Shepard."

Wrex gave his bride a scathing glance for her literal answer and added, "She saw your ship blazing away as you entered atmo this morning and yelled that… and I told her no, it wasn't a shooting star, that it was you, coming back to visit. I guess you're stuck with that name now." He looked puzzled and continued, "I'm really surprised she put the name together with your face… having met you only once, when she was barely a month old, to boot!"

"You're always calling Shepard for vid chats, so it's not like Eve hasn't seen her since then… just not in person." Bakara rolled her eyes. "That little one notices everything!"

"She's a smart one, then, isn't she?" Shepard smirked and pulled the little one in closer, who promptly latched onto her armor and refused to let go. "And there are worse names she could have attached to me, especially if she listens in on Wrex's conversations!"

Bakara chuckled as Wrex protested, "Hey! I'm careful what I say when the little one is around!"

"In that case, do we need to have someone take her before we get down to business?" Shepard tried, unsuccessfully, to detach the little Krogan from her armor.

"Absolutely not." Bakara was earnest in her response. "We do not coddle our children as other races do, Shepard. Even with the cure, Krogan life is still difficult… so many still wary of us because of our past history… not to mention the Klixen, Maws, and other creatures that roam our surface. It will be a long time before the rest of the galaxy trusts us as you do, I fear."

"Then let's get settled somewhere and start talking… as that is one of the discussion points on my list." As Bakara reached for Eve, Shepard shook her head. "Don't worry about it. She's fine… at least for now."

"You've got to be kidding." Wrex stared at her in amazement, not sure if he should be angry or relieved at the final outcome, and the questions began to come. "You're sure the Council will let you do it? Why didn't Jara say anything to me?"

"I imagine because it turned out to be nothing… at least not yet; not until the next Council session, when everyone brings their own arguments for and against the various issues." Shepard shrugged. "Tevos is on our side… and actually pulled the 'plausible deniability' card for us, against Valern's protest. Just let Tevos, Jara and me handle it, Wrex. Jara is a pretty savvy politician, especially as Krogan go, and I remember you telling Bakara that she could trust me… I hope that still holds true in your eyes."

Wrex curled his lip for a second in a snarl before answering, "Damn you, Shepard… using my own words against me." He huffed quietly and added, "Fine. Do it your way… probably come out better anyway, seeing as bashing councilor heads until they agree with us probably wouldn't go over so well in the long run." His snarl had turned into a smirk while he had talked. "That's why we selected Jara to begin with, so you're right. I suppose we have to trust our own judgment as well… At least in that regard."

"So, we are in agreement." Shepard pulled her finger out of Eve's mouth so she could scroll her holo-screen to the topic at hand. "So… Any idea who you'll select as my engineer?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact. Don't even have to think about it." He flashed a toothy grin at Liara as he continued. "After we booted Cerberus in the ass during the Reaper War and took over Firebase Giant, it was temporarily run by an Alliance SpecOps team. I still have the team that originally took over the facility once the Alliance left. Jorgal Arkun has been running and maintaining that big gun ever since your engineers trained him to do it; even got to shoot up a few pirate ships crazy enough to think they could land on Tuchanka without permission. He's your operator… and you can have him right away if you're willing to wait for him to pack."

The big Krogan laughed when a worried frown crossed Shepard's face as she asked, "Does packing include training someone to take over his job?"

"Your SpecOps squad trained four extra team leaders… in anticipation of us getting the rest of our defense cannons up and operational… two of which we have already completed… still leaving us a couple of spare operators. So, Ark can most likely be ready within ten minutes of getting the notification," Wrex answered with a grin. "Don't sweat it, Shepard. I'll have him pick a new trainee from his crews to fill the extra slot… plenty of time to train him up before that forth gun will be ready. Ark will be here in the morning before you leave. No problem."

Wrex then frowned as another possible complication crossed his mind. "I don't want you getting your ass in trouble for us, Shepard. You may not need the job, but we need you as a Spectre… so I'll not have you risk that just to get us permission to have a standing Space Force again. It will happen in time, one way or another, without you sacrificing yourself to the Council."

"I'm not so sure about that, Wrex." Bakara interjected. "There is still a lot of hate and mistrust directed toward us, as evidenced by the Council's initial response. This is our best chance in centuries… and I don't believe it should be so easily dismissed."

"I'm afraid I agree with Bakara on this one, Wrex." Shepard shook her head. "I have no idea if Valern will be the only one with objections. Tevos cut the conversation off short, by pushing it to the next council session, so I have no idea how the others feel… But, I do know that Tevos has my back, so don't you worry about me." She chuckled quietly before adding, "Besides, it's high time the Krogan become a full part of the Council… for real. Krogan assistance during the war can't be ignored again; not this time."

"And Jara's ideas about us rebuilding our fleet?"

"Are good ideas…" Shepard paused for a moment in thought, picking up on a suggestion from Liara. "But, perhaps, we have to start slow… really slow… and you may not like what I have to say next, but I think you need to offer to build only a few ships at the start." She held her hand up to stop Wrex from commenting before she was done. "Once those ships are completed, they will be crewed jointly with the other races and assigned immediately to the Council Fleet. That will give everyone a chance to get used to the idea and see the Krogan in action before they authorize Tuchanka its own fleet."

Wrex responded, "And just how long are we supposed to wait, Shepard?"

"That depends," she replied. "Mostly on how well your Krogan work with others in the Fleet. But, honestly… You've endured over a thousand years of this. What's another couple of decades, if that's what it takes to gain the confidence of the Council?"

Growling, Wrex didn't answer immediately, gnashing his teeth as if chewing on Shepard's words and trying to decide how he liked their taste. "I hate to admit it, but I suppose you're right. We did some pretty stupid things that we have to make up for." He suddenly pounded on the table. "But how we acted notwithstanding, you have to admit that we had every reason to be angrier than a pack of Varren who just lost their pups!"

"I certainly won't argue that point." Shepard frowned as she continued, "Because that's basically what you were… an angry mob who just lost their pups… more accurately, lost the ability to even have pups. I'd be pissed off, too. Matter of fact, I've been pretty pissed off for you, which is why I'm willing to do this for you now… But you have to promise to be patient and don't blow, as Bakara said, your best chance in centuries."

"All I can promise is that I'll do my best, Shepard." Wrex harrumphed. "I agree with you… but keeping all the clans in check might be a different story."

"That's a load of crap and you know it, Wrex," Shepard scoffed. "You… being the 'collective Krogan' you… have been there before and did just fine at working together to keep any one particular warlord from becoming too powerful. Use the same tactics to keep any rogues from getting out of control and running off thinking they're going to build their own private fleet. If the majority realize that's what it's going to take to get your real Krogan fleet back, they'll support you, so you and Bakara need to talk it up. Then, deploy Aralakh, ask the Spectres for help, and use any and every other force available to take away whatever any rogue clan buys, builds or pirates. Give whatever you take to the Council immediately, to augment their fleet until you've proven your trustworthiness and they rescind the DMZ order."

Wrex's face took on an evil grin. "That should most certainly make us a few points… both against any thoughts of going rogue and in support of us backing the Council, Shepard. I like how you think… should've known you'd have a plan."

"Not mine… Liara's," she answered with a smile. "I'm just the brawn in the outfit."

"Ha!" Liara reached over and gave her a gentle shove, making little Eve growl with discontent.

Shepard's brow raised in surprise. "Easy there, Eve… She's my Urdnot bondmate and you don't mess with her. She and I come as a pair… got that?"

Surprising them all, Eve gave a little nod and stuck her hand out, grasping at Liara who, very cautiously extended her hand to meet the little one waving in the air. Eve grabbed hold and hung on.

Wrex and Bakara both stared at their little Ru'shan in amazement, having expected her to try to take a bite out of the Asari. Wrex recovered first, muttering, "Are we sure Mordin's Genophage cure didn't have a little something extra in it? That pup is way too damned smart for her age."

Shepard's eyes shifted nervously around the entire group, finally stopping to look into Eve's tiny little reptilian eyes. "Shit. He told me once that he had a lot to make up for after what he did with the Genophage, but do you honestly think…"

Liara sat forward and looked the little Krogan in the face. "What do you think, Eve?"

Eve, with the closer proximity of the Asari, pulled her hand closer and shoved a blue finger in her mouth next to Shepard's, now sucking on them both.

Liara chuckled softly and pulled it back, smiling. "No need to get greedy, now." Looking to Bakara, she continued, "But that is actually a very good question. I wouldn't necessarily put that past Mordin. I'm sure we could get Dr Chakwas to take a blood draw on Wrex and compare his before and after the cure. She'll certainly have his original data in her records."

"Yeah. You just let me know when the Normandy is back in action and Karin has access to that data." Normally, Wrex wasn't too fond of needles, but this had him curious enough to agree. "We'll see if we can get them to make a stop here so she can collect a new sample… make that two; Bakara as well, in case it's gender specific. Mordin sure made a point of frequently repeating that the females were the future of the Krogan… I'd like to know for sure if that Salarian did any additional meddling or not!"

"Fertility and a boost in intelligence?" Shepard canted her head in question. "Surely, you wouldn't complain about that, would you?"

Wrex narrowed his eyes and stared at the Spectre. "Not as long as that's all he did."

"On another topic," Bakara said, attempting to distract Wrex from the unpleasant possibilities, "Where are you and Liara off to next? Home, I hope?"

Sighing, Shepard shook her head. "Only for a one-day turnaround." With a glance at Liara, she continued, "Our next stop is Earth, for Ken Donnelly's wake on Friday night."

"Ah. That's too bad." Wrex looked sincerely remorseful about Donnelly's loss. "Not only was he a damned good engineer, but he could put away the hooch. Only one on the crew…" His eyes shifted to Shepard as he continued, "… other than you, but you don't count because of your genetic engineering… who could put away nearly as much alcohol as me; that boy could really drink!"

A sad smile crossed Shepard's face. "He had a pretty mean game of Skyllian-five, too. He took more than a few creds from the crew before they wised up and started playing for chips instead of money."

"Heh, heh, heh." A deep chuckle from the doorway immediately captured everyone's attention as Grunt wandered in. "Never took my creds. He even folded some pretty good hands… not sure what he thought I had to beat him with."

Shepard smirked and answered, "Just your fists, Grunt. You scared him to death!"

"What?" Grunt almost sounded angry. "I would never hurt a squad mate!" His eyes narrowed as he amended, "Unless he was trying to hurt you or Liara… then, he's meat!" Remembering he was talking about a dead friend, he grimaced. "But not Ken; he'd never do that... and he was a fun guy to hang around with. He always seemed to know where the best bars were!"

"Yeah, he did." Shepard sniffed and added, "It's a real shame… and poor Gabby!" She cast a meaningful glance at her Ionúin Álainn. "She's handling his death better than I ever imagined… better than I ever could, had it been Liara."

"You know damned well, had something happened to Bakara… like that damned bomb going off in the Kelphic Valley…" Wrex growled and added, "If those damned Turians had killed her… well, let's just say the war would have gone a completely different way for us all."

"Well, it didn't, Wrex." Bakara scowled at him and continued, "So there's no sense in getting yourself all worked up over it." She flashed a toothy smile at Grunt and continued, "And, I imagine you are here to speak with our favorite Spectre regarding your continuing project on Garvug?"

"Yes… Dhazil." Grunt looked at the Spectre and nodded his head. "I've got the Krogan under control… retook the Capital… and would be honored if you would come see it again. I think you might be just as surprised about Dhazil as you were when you saw the City of the Ancients."

"Seriously?" Shepard glanced at Liara, who nodded enthusiastically in agreement. Looking back to Grunt, the Spectre continued, "Then we'll just have to make a point of swinging out in that direction and stopping in. I'll let you know when we have a date in mind."

"Sounds good, Shepard." Grunt flashed a toothy smile. "I'll be happy to meet you there, anytime, with a squad of Aralakh in tow in case we decide to do a little hunting!"