Team Building Exercises

"What a pisshole," Miranda grumbled. She glared around, hands on her hips. "Let's do what we need to do and get out of here."

"It's not so bad," Kamina responded, pushing his glasses back and looking up. It really wasn't. It was a bit dirty and the sky was grey but, hell, at least there was one.

"No," Grunt rumbled from Kamina's other side. "She's right. This is Tuchanka? This chunk of dead rock barely worth standing on? Makes me miss the tank."

Kamina glanced at him warily. The reason they were even here was because Grunt had a little freak-out in the Gurren Senken. Shepard that that maybe something was wrong with him so she had sent them to the krogan home world to try and figure out what. Meanwhile, she had taken off to recruit someone else for the team. For whatever reason, she had insisted that Miranda accompany him and Grunt. Over Miranda's strenuous protest. Which left Kamina with two incredibly irritable companions. It also meant that Viral was with Shepard, something that made Kamina uneasy. Oh, well. If anyone can handle that bastard, it's my sukeban.

Kamina slapped Grunt on his huge shoulder. "Come on, big guy. Shepard told us that her old friend Wrex would help us out. You'll be feeling better soon." Grunt's only response was a growl. Kamina checked out the little port area. There were a few krogans but none of them were paying any attention to the new arrivals. Kamina picked out a pair at random and walked up to them. "Hey guys, could one of you tell me where to find Urdnot Wrex?" One of the krogan rolled an eye toward him but that was it. Neither of them even paused their conversation. "Oy, I'm talking to you…" Kamina stepped forward and grasped the arm of one of nearest krogan.

The next thing he knew, he was flying through the air, back between Miranda and Grunt and halfway up the ramp to the Gurren Senken. Kamina rolled back up to knees and shook his head. He wiped the corner of his mouth and it came away bloody. A smile stretched across his face and he snickered. He glanced up and toward his companions. Grunt smashed his fists together and nodded. Miranda sighed and closed her eyes but didn't voice a protest. Kamina gathered his energy and charged the krogans.

The stone jail cell was bare and dirty. Kamina sat against one wall, gently holding the right side of his face. It was swollen and throbbing. Just about every other part of him hurt as well. Krogans didn't go easy, either in a fight or in breaking one up. Grunt was pacing back and forth, somehow looking none the worse for wear. Kamina wasn't sure how that was possible, since it had taken no less than five krogan wailing on him to take him down. And that was after he had wrecked about a dozen others. Miranda sat about as far away from Kamina as was possible in the little cell. She had her legs drawn up to her chest. "How did you manage to get us into a brawl two seconds after we got here?" she groused.

Kamina smirked. "It was pretty easy, actually. You were there."

Miranda signed and dropped her head so that it was resting on her knees. "Why are we in jail anyway? Since when do the krogan have jails?"

"Since I took over," a deep bass voice said. Kamina turned toward the sound and saw the most intimidating krogan he'd ever seen. And considering the species, that was saying something. His bright red crest was covered in scars, some of which ran all the way down his face. His red eyes burned a vicious intelligence. Reminds me of Viral. "I came to see the three who caused so much havoc. Two humans and one of them a pretty girl." He chuckled. "Well, unlike most krogan, I know not one to underestimate a pretty human girl." His gaze swiveled to Grunt. "And you…" He stepped up to the bars and looked Grunt up and down. Grunt stood straight and met the other krogan's gaze. "You put on quite a show out there. What clan are you from, boy?"

After a pause, Grunt said, "I am clanless. I was tank-bred by Warlord Okeer."

"Okeer, is it? Now there is an old name. A hated name." The krogan stared at Grunt. "I've met other tank-bred. Killed all the other ones. They were mindless, though. You seem sane."

"I am pure krogan. You should be in awe." Kamina noticed that Grunt said this by rote, though. Not with pride.

"Pure krogan?" the red-crested krogan laughed again. "Well, not many could have knocked around the entire port authority, that's certain."

Miranda suddenly stood up. "Am I correct in assuming that you are Urdnot Wrex?"

"That's right. Miranda Lawson, wasn't it? I let you land because you said that Shepard had sent you but she usually has better sense than to start a fist-fight with a dozen krogan." He busted into a smile and Kamina decided that he liked Wrex. "Well, most of the time anyway."

"Well," Miranda responded, distinctly uncomfortable. "I normally do to. I apologize most sincerely for the trouble we have caused."

Wrex seemed taken aback by that. "Are you sure you're with Shepard?"

Kamina took that as his cue to jump in. He got to his feet. "Damn straight we are. Sukeban set us here to do something about Grunt here." He slapped a hand on the krogan's shoulder. "We think he might be sick."

"Sick?"

"He's aggressive. In a way he says he cannot control," Miranda chimed in.

"We thought maybe a nice brawl might work some of it off before we met you," Kamina added with a big smile.

Wrex laughed loudly at that. "It is true that we krogan need a good dust-up every now and then to feel right. Aggression is just a natural part of being a krogan." Wrex sobered and continued. "You need a clan, though, boy. To focus and channel that aggression into something productive. You need to go through the rite of passage."

"The rite of passage? What's that?" Kamina asked. It sounds cool.

"That's for the shaman to discuss. If Grunt here is willing. What do you think, boy? Do you have what it takes to be an Urdnot?"

Grunt paused for a long moment and then nodded. "It is in my blood."

"Good lad." Wrex activated his omnitool and tapped a button. The locks on the door of the jail cell came open. "Come on. I'll take you to them."

Kamina hurried and caught up to Wrex so that they were walking side by side. "So how do you know Shepard?" he asked.

Wrex let out a rumbling laugh that vibrated through Kamina. "Me and her saved the universe, kid. Well, with a bit of help from Liara and that turian. How'd you hook up with her?"

Kamina shrugged. "I was imprisoned. Shepard busted me out. I've been running with her ever since."

Wrex chuckled. "That sounds like something she would do. Take my advice and keep running with her, kid. I've never met anyone like that woman. It's taking everything I have just to save my own people. She'll save all of us and probably make it look easy in the process." Kamina nodded. He thought the same thing. There was something inside her. A will that could blast through everything in its path. He'd seen the same thing in Simon.

They emerged from the prison and out into the dim, grey light of Tuchanka. To be honest, the inside and outside of the prison were barely distinguishable. Everything was grey rubble. Wrex pointed up and said, "The Shaman is on the second level there. Tell him that I sent you to undergo the rite. Come see me if you have any more questions. And try not to get into anymore brawls." With a last snicker, Wrex rumbled away.

"Come on," Kamina said, turning back to his companions. Grunt nodded, looking serious. Miranda just seemed impatient. I really need to get that woman to loosen up. They made their way up the second level of the rundown building only to find several krogan, none of them obviously the shaman.

The problem was solved when a krogan with a green plate and armor with bright blue lights yelled, "You cannot keep supporting him, Shaman. He is perverting everything that it means to be krogan!"

"Bah!" the Shaman said. "Enough, Uvenk. The rites of Urdnot are dominant and Wrex is our leader. If you have a problem with that, I suggest you take it up with Wrex himself." Kamina was no krogan expert but he judged that Wrex could eat Uvenk for breakfast with room left over.

"Shaman!" Kamina shouted, jogging over. "We have a krogan that wants to undergo the rite of passage."

Both krogan swiveled their heads and glared at Kamina. "Turn around, human," Uvenk growled. "This is no place for you."

The Shaman, however, walked away from Uvenk and up to Grunt. Kamina could tell by the way Grunt's eyes moved that he was uncomfortable being scrutinized. "I don't recognize you. Are you a child of Urdnot?"

"I was tank-bred by Warlord Okeer."

The Shaman tilted his head. "A tank-bred?"

"My line was distilled from Kredak, Moro, Shiagur..." Grunt spoke again by rote.

"Enough!" Uvenk interrupted. "You recite warlords but you are the offspring of a syringe."

The Shaman sighed. "I have had about enough of you inserting yourself where you have no business, Uvenk. But he is correct. I don't know if a clone can undergo the rights of Urdnot."

"Your leader, Wrex, gave us permission. This krogan travels with the Spectre Shepard," Miranda said. "So can we skip all this bullshit and get on with the rite?"

"I would appreciate you not being so dismissive of the rite, tiny woman. But if Wrex really said that it was fine..."

"This is ridiculous!" Uvenk exploded. "Wrex goes too far. This thing isn't a krogan."

The shaman took a sniff of Grunt and said, "He smells right. If Wrex is fine with it, I see no reason why he shouldn't undergo the rite."

"This cannot be!" Uvenk shot back. "He is a mutant, he is artificial! How do we even know the beasts of the rite will acknowledge him? They will ignore him like a lump of plastic. And does he even have a krantt? How could he when-"

Kamina listened to the krogan go on and on, getting angrier and angrier. Finally, when he could stand it no more, Kamina gave into his instincts. He reared back and slammed his head into the Uvenk's. It hurt like hell but Kamina kept his head pressed up to Uvenk's and said with a smile, "Oy, oy, oy! One more word about Grunt and I'm going to rip that green plate off your head and wear it like a trophy."

Uvenk stepped back and stuttered, "You...you dare…?"

The Shaman was laughing. "I like this human. I think he answered your question about Grunt's krantt." He turned to Kamina. "You are willing to fight with him?"

Kamina smashed his fist into the palm of his other hand. "Me and Grunt will obliterate everything in our path." He licked at the blood sliding down his face.

"Any more objections?" the Shaman asked Uvenk.

"This isn't over," Uvenk growled. Then he walked away, shouldering Kamina out of the way. Kamina glared after him. I hope it's not over. Please come after us. I can't wait.

"Well, are you ready to begin?" the Shaman asked. "Be warned. Once you begin, the rite will only end with your glory or your death."

Grunt nodded. "Let's go."

The Shaman smiled and led them to a six-wheeled tank-like vehicle. They all piled inside and sat on the benches along either wall. Well, most of them did. Miranda stayed standing, grasping a handrail, after glancing distastefully at the dirty benches. Kamina didn't mind. The ride was extremely bumpy and watching Miranda try to keep her balance was...stimulating. He was worried about her though. She had been in an even worse mood than usual after Shepard had sent her away. Kamina had trouble understanding her. She wanted to be with Shepard but questioned her every move and certainly wasn't loyal. What does she expect? What does she really want?

An extra hard bump caused Miranda to lose her footing but Kamina was quick enough to catch her before she hit the ground. He gave her an arrogant smile and was expecting a tongue-lashing in return. Instead, Miranda glanced away from him and muttered, "Thanks." Kamina set her back on her feet, wondering if that was a good or a bad sign.

The tank stopped abruptly, almost spilling Miranda again. "We're here," the Shaman growled. He leapt out of the car first and they followed him. "This is Tuchanka's most recent scar," the Shaman said as they walked. "The last surface city to fall in the rebellions. The keystone was at the heart. It has survived wars and the passage of centuries. It endures - like the krogan. If you wish to join Clan Urdnot, you must contemplate the keystone and its trials."

"What will happen?' Grunt asked.

"Who knows? You must adapt. You must thrive, no matter the situation. Any true krogan will." The Shaman glanced at Miranda, as if doubting her ability to survive a krogan test. You don't know how tough that woman is.

The Shaman directed them onward and they found themselves in front of a small intercom with a glowing green light. "So I guess I just hit this?" Kamina asked.

"Do it," Grunt replied.

Kamina shrugged and tapped the green light. Then he jumped when a voice emerged. "First the krogan conquered Tuchanka...and mastered a natural world only we are fit to hold."

Nothing happened at first. Then the ground started rumbling. Kamina pulled his shotgun free and looked around. Just in time to see a monster charging toward him. Before he could even fire off a shot, the monster slammed into a biotic wall. Then fire from Grunts assault rifle sawed it in half. "Varren," Miranda muttered with disgust. "Why am I not surprised."

"I will show these beasts I am worthy!" Grunt screamed. Then he charged away.

Kamina grinned. "Well, when on Tuchanka, do as the krogan do, right?"

Miranda sighed and waved her hand in a shooing motion. "Go on. I'll wait here." Kamina did as she bid and ran in the opposite direction of Grunt. Truthfully, the varren weren't all that fun to fight. It only took one or two shots to put one down and they were slow and predictable. Kamina mostly used the fight to work on his biotics. Namely, picking things up and throwing them. He wanted to get more accurate at that.

Before he knew it, the varren were all dead. He met Grunt back at the keystone. The krogan didn't even look like he'd been in a fight. Neither did Miranda, who only had a single varren corpse next to her. Riddled with bullets from her machine gun. Kamina stepped up to the keystone and hit the green light again. The same voice emerged, this time saying, "Then the krogan were lifted into the stars to destroy the fears of a galaxy, an enemy only we could chase to their lair."

"Oh, you cannot be serious," Miranda moaned.

"What you mean?" Kamina asked excitedly. "What's coming?"

His question was answered a second later when a giant insect landed a little way away and started disgorging small red bugs the size of dogs. "Klixen," Grunt growled.

"Oh thank god." Miranda slumped in relief. "For a moment I thought you psychopathic krogan had gotten your hands on some rachni."

Grunt gave her a hard look but she didn't even seem to notice. "What's a rachni?" Kamina asked.

"Nothing you need to worry about. Now go on. Kill those nasty things before they can get up here."

Kamina was already bounding away before she could finish speaking. He leapt high in the air with a biotic boost and came down hard on the first klixen, smashing it flat. A moment later he was soaring back through the sky, courtesy of the klixen exploding under him. He hit the ground hard and rolled to a halt at Miranda's feet. She stared down at him with a mixture of pity and exasperation. Kamina smiled weakly. "It exploded."

"So it did." Miranda lifted her machine gun and let loose a stream of bullets without taking her eyes off Kamina. A moment later, there was an explosion. "Maybe keep your distance?" she offered.

Kamina rolled to his hands and knees and shook his head. Being shown up by Miranda could really hurts a guy's feelings. He popped to his feet and charged straight at the next klixen, his shotgun still firmly attached to his armor. Instead he uppercut the klixen with all his biotic strength and the thing flew high into the sky before exploding. He turned back to Miranda with a triumphant smile and would have sworn he saw her grin before she glanced away and her long black hair hid her face.

Kamina picked up the next klixen with a biotic wave and slammed it into another one, causing both of them to explode. Then he picked up two more and chucked them at a retreating harvester. They both flew true and exploded against the harvester, causing the big insect to crash to the ground. Now that he knew they exploded, Kamina had fun taking down the last few. It was a little disappointing when they were all gone. He returned to keystone where Miranda and Grunt were waiting. Grunt had a few black scorch marks on his normally pristine silver armor.

Kamina tapped the green light again. "Now all krogan bear the genophage, our reward, our curse. It is a fight where the only goal is survival!" the intercom blared out.

Miranda raised an eyebrow. "I don't like the sound of that."

The ground started shaking so much that Kamina had trouble staying on his feet. Then something reared out of the ground. Something huge. Like a giant centipede with a head teeming with tentacles. "Finally," Grunt growled. "Something worth fighting!"

"A thresher maw!? What the hell is wrong with you damn krogan!?" Miranda wailed.

The thresher maw horked up a green spray which Kamina instinctively jumped back, as did Miranda and Grunt. The green spray sizzled where it touched the ground. Kamina touched his shotgun and realized it wouldn't do him much good from this range. He had a feeling his submachine gun wouldn't be that useful either. He glanced at Grunt and an idea hit him. He grinned and pointed at the thresher maw. "Are you ready to fly, Grunt?"

The big krogan blinked slowly and then let out a low chuckle. "I like it."

"Oh my god. What do you think you are doing, you morons?" Miranda asked.

"What does it look like?" Kamina asked with a laugh. "Abandoning reason to make the impossible possible. Because that…" Kamina scooped up Grunt in a biotic field and flung him as hard as he could. "...is how we roll!"

The krogan sailed through the air and landed on top of the thresher maw. He grabbed a tentacle with one hand, pressed his assault rifle up against the head and started firing. Kamina could hear him roaring. The thresher maw jerked, swinging Grunt off but before Kamina could even react, Miranda was using a biotic field to push him back on top of the head. "You two are so dumb," she muttered. Kamina got the feeling she wasn't as pissed as she was letting on, though.

Grunt was still pouring fire into the head of the thresher maw and Kamina was starting to wonder how much it could take. Then it ducked back into the hole that it had emerged from. "Grunt!" Miranda shrieked. No! Kamina was about to run toward the hole when Miranda shouted again. "There!" Kamina spun around and saw that the thresher maw had emerged from underground in a different spot. Improbably, Grunt was holding onto one of the tentacles and continuing to fire. The thresher maw was flailing wildly but Grunt held his gun steady. Then the thresher maw gave a last shudder and fell. Grunt leapt free and rolled away just before it hit the ground. Grunt came to his feet and smiled, gun on his shoulder and thresher maw dead behind him. Kamina snapped on his sunglasses to hide the tears in his eyes. Damn that's manly.

Almost as if on cue, a ship sailed over them and dropped down between them and their ride out of here. "Oh, what fresh hell is this?" Miranda grumbled as they made their way to where the ship came down.

Uvenk was waiting for them, standing on a fallen concrete pillar as if it were a pulpit. "You live and you brought down the thresher maw," he said, pacing back and forth. "No one has done that in generations. Urdnot Wrex was the last."

"Which must mean you didn't manage it," Kamina said snidely. Grunt grunted.

Uvenk ignored him and hopped down from the pillar. "This will cause discussion. I wonder...you say you are pure? No alien meddling in your construction? Just the warlord Okeer?"

"Spit out what you want, krogan," Miranda snapped.

Uvenk shot her a glare but Miranda didn't even flinch. Uvenk looked away first. "Grunt, you are powerful. You are a mistake but your potential could tip the current balance of the clans."

"You want something unnatural like me in your clan?" Grunt asked.

"With restrictions. You couldn't breed of course. Or serve on alien ships. But you'd be clan in name."

"Oh, golly," Miranda said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Oh, he'd get to be clan whatever-the-fuck in name? That's such a better offer than actually getting to be a full member of Urdnot, the dominant clan." Her voice switched back to its usual, acidic tone. "What a ridiculous offer. Tell me, did some thresher maw acid eat part of your brain during your rite of passage?"

"One more word, human, and I will end you and your entire line!"

"Nobody insults my krantt," Grunt growled stepping forward. "These two humans are more krogan than you are Uvenk!"

"You head is valuable whether you are dead or alive!"

"Try and take it!" Grunt snarled, pulling his assault rifle free. Before he could shoot however, a rocket from one of Uvenk's underlings smashed into the ground between Grunt and Uvenk. It exploded and the smoke provided cover for Uvenk to run back to his companions. With a bone-rattling war cry, Grunt charged after him.

"Why can't I go anywhere with you without getting into a fight?" Miranda sighed.

"To be fair, it wasn't me who asked if he was brain damaged." Miranda moved her head back and forth as if she didn't entirely disagree with his sentiment. Kamina laughed and sprinted after Grunt.

The krogan had grabbed one of Uvenk's underlings and was pressing forward, using the poor krogan as a shield against the fire coming his way from the rest. None of them was paying even a little attention to Kamina. He noticed one lining up a rocket launcher toward Grunt and decided that was his target. Kamina ran forward and punched the krogan right in the mouth. It was like punching a rock. Kamina grabbed his wrist with one hand and hunched over. "It hurts!" The krogan smiled smugly. Kamina returned it. "Just kidding." He whipped around in a biotically-charged roundhouse kick that sent the krogan bouncing across the pavement. Kamina lowered his leg gingerly. I think I twisted my ankle.

Another of the krogan finally noticed him and brought his rifle around to bear. Kamina was about to dive out of the way but before he could, the krogan shot high up into the air. Then he fell. Kamina recoiled when the krogan slammed into the ground in front of him with a splat. "Why must you always fight in such a self-destructive way?" Miranda asked.

Kamina brushed his hair back and smirked. "It's just the way I like to do things."

Instead of being annoyed or dismissive like he expected, Miranda frowned with real worry. "Just make sure that there is a purpose to your aggression. No one benefits if you get yourself killed out of stubborn recklessness."

Kamina huffed and turned away. "I do things the way I do them."

Grunt was mopping up. Only Uvenk was left standing. The older krogan tried to slow down Grunt with a biotic field but the battle-crazed krogan somehow just ripped right through it. He leveled his giant shotgun at Uvenk with one hand and pulled the trigger. Kamina flinched and closed one eye. That had been a little gory, even for him. Grunt just put his gun on his shoulder and chuckled. "So much for Uvenk. Let's get out of here."

They met the Shaman back at the tank and he smiled widely, apparently unconcerned with the massacre that had just taken place. Krogan sure are interesting.

"You have passed the rite of passage," the Shaman said. "Earning the honor of clan and name." Grunt, to Kamina's massive surprise, went down to his knees in front of the shaman. I never thought Grunt would bow to anybody. Kamina gave a fleeting thought to whether he should bow but noticed that Miranda was still standing, her arms folded underneath her breasts. Yeah, I'm not bowing. "Many survive," the Shaman continued." but it has been years since a thresher maw fell! Your names shall live in glory." Kamina puffed out his chest in pride. "Grunt, you are Urdnot. You may now own property, join the army and apply to serve under a battlemaster."

Grunt turned one of his big blue eyes toward Kamina. "Shepard is our battlemaster!" Kamina said, stepping forward and slapping Grunt hard on the hump. "Nobody better!"

"Understood. Nobody will dare second guess a krogan and a krantt able to take down a thresher maw-and with such style! You may serve this human battlemaster."

Grunt nodded and they all entered the tank to return to Wrex's camp.

Part 2

Shepard glanced down at Illium as the landing vehicle dropped in. It was an impressive site. A city world, lit up and glowing as far as the eye could see. After reading about the planet, she'd learned it was a colony managed by corporate interests and outside of normal asari law. Most of the travel advisories stressed thoroughly reading every document before signing anything, which made Shepard concerned. She would bet the lawyers on Illium were skilled at tricking lay people into signing things against their own well-being no matter how thoroughly the person read it. It reminded her of Noveria, which meant there would be less respect for her Spectre status than normal. Shepard didn't really mind. She was hoping to get in and out without using her Spectre status at all.

The drop ship settled down and lights came on to tell the passengers they could unfasten their safety belts and get up. Shepard wasn't used to traveling on public transport but she'd sent the Normandy to Tuchanka with Kamina and Grunt. Part of her was worried the Illusive Man would have eyes on her no matter what she did but she want to keep Liara off his radar if at all possible. That was why she had sent Miranda, and perhaps more importantly, EDI, off with Kamina.

Damn I don't miss traveling this way though, Shepard thought as she wrestled her bag out of the compartment under her seat and slowly shuffled out of the ship. Since she was traveling like a civilian, Shepard was wearing her civvies. A dark blue hoodie and black trousers along with some makeup over the scar around her eye. She didn't want to freak anyone out after all. Garrus was already waiting outside when she escaped the stifling confines of the ship. Even in civilian clothes, he was clearly military. Now that I think about it, have I ever seen a turian look casual? His scar was still visible as he'd categorically refused to allow Leeron to put some makeup over it.

Viral was the last one out. He was in a red button-down and white slacks. The eyes they'd hidden with mirrored sunglasses and the hands with black gloves. The gloves didn't hide the fact that his hands were uncommonly large but at least it hid the bestial nature of them. Shepard hadn't been able to come up with anything to do about the teeth so she'd suggested that Viral just keep his mouth closed. She'd received a very amused smirk in return. Close-mouthed, of course.

Viral jogged over to them and snarled. "That was intolerable."

"Well, you made it," Shepard said unsympathetically. "Come on." Shepard led them out of the bay and through the security checkpoints. It was no problem since Ouroboros had created fake identities for herself, Viral and Garrus. She was sure using them would alert the organization's information network but that couldn't be helped. The Illusive Man already knew she was headed to Illium after this 'Thane Krios.'

Once they were on the streets of Illium, the threesome made their way to the hotel they had a reservation at. As they walked, Shepard was stunned to see that there were no signs of poverty. That was unthinkable in such a huge city. Since she wasn't one to be optimistic, Shepard assumed it was because the government of Illium didn't allow it. Forced labor? Or maybe they just dump their poor on other worlds? It made her angry to think about. This was the sort of thing she thought she would be investigating when she first had aspirations of becoming a Spectre. But the threat of the reapers obviously superseded everything else. Little evils pile up because the Council and the Spectres can't be bothered.

Shepard shook it off and entered the lobby of the hotel. An asari receptionist was waiting. "I have a reservation at this hotel," Shepard said without preamble.

"Yes, of course," the receptionist said pleasantly. A little scanner flicked over Shepard. "...Miss Hale." The asari glanced at the screen and then her eyes flicked between Shepard, Garrus and Viral. "...And it was only for one room. Correct?"

"That's right." Shepard put her arm on the counter and leaned forward with a cool smile. "Is that alright?"

"Of course," the asari said quickly. "Your room is number two twelve. Upstairs and to the right. Your omnitool should open it."

"Thanks." When Shepard turned away, she saw a look of disgust on the asari's face. She debated turning back around before just letting it go. Shepard jogged up the stairs and found their room. It really was pretty cramped. Oh, well. If we're lucky, we can get this done in one day anyway. "Okay," she said, addressing Viral and Garrus. "As planned, we're going to split up. Garrus, go and see if you can get any information on Thane or this Morinth that he is apparently targeting." The dossier hadn't said much about the asari that Thane was after, only that she was a fugitive in asari space. That was a relief to Shepard. If they were going to have an assassin on the team, at least it was one that hunted bad guys. "Viral, you go with him. I'm going to follow up on some leads of my own." Garrus gave a nod and Viral shrugged. "Be careful. Remember, we're civilians right now. Don't get arrested and try not to get into any fights." That prompted Viral to smile, which worried Shepard. She'd brought him along because, with Garrus and her weaponless and armorless, she had thought it would be a good idea to have some backup from a person who needed neither. Now she was starting to wonder if she had made a mistake.

"You be careful too," Garrus said. The turian rogue was the only individual she'd confided in about Liara so he knew the investigation of Thane was on his shoulders. Shepard wasn't remotely worried about that. Garrus was as capable a person as she'd ever met. It was crazy to her that the Council hadn't pulled out all the stops to make him a Spectre. Shepard gave him a confidant nod.

They exited the hotel and went their separate ways. Shepard used caught a taxi and instructed the krogan behind the wheel to take her to Dilinaga University. She thought that taxi driver was a funny job for a krogan until they entered the main part of the city. Traffic on Illium was a war. Why is there no safety belt?! By the time they got to the University, Shepard felt battered worse than after her fight with Saren. When she complained to the krogan driver, she received only a chuckle in return.

Shepard shook her head and turned to the University. It was a sprawling complex of a few dozen buildings. Dilinaga was supposed to be the second most prestigious university on Illium and one of the best asari schools period. Seems like Liara hasn't done too badly for herself. Shepard glanced around. But how am I supposed to find her? It was the middle of the day so there was a reasonable expectation that Liara was teaching right now but Shepard had no clue which building she might be in. She gazed at the large rose-colored building she'd been dropped off in front of. Well, I suppose the driver would have dropped me off in front of the administration building.

Shepard walked inside and was relieved to immediately spot a giant map of the campus. She briskly walked over to it. There were a few asari in the building eyeing her but Shepard knew how to look confident and like she belonged. It was a necessary skill for any Spectre. Using her omnitool to translate, Shepard figured out where she was and then learned the map wouldn't be as helpful as she thought. All the buildings were named after asari rather than what disciplines they taught. Hmm. Shepard did a quick extranet search told her which building usually held history classes. The Helirix Building. Alright. Shepard left the building and swiftly made her way through the campus, having already committed the layout to memory. She passed by several asari but no other species. Interesting. I wonder if non-asari are allowed to study here.

Shepard found the Helirix Building, a little two-story building that seemed kind of dingy. Shepard rubbed her chin. I wonder when asari consider something history. For humans, it was usually a decade or two. Would the asari equivalent be a century or two? Shepard laughed. That's hard to wrap my head around. It would mean that every moment that humans had been part of the galactic was considered a current event. Shit...that actually kind of explains asari attitudes. And the attitudes of the other council species. Like Germany in the nineteenth century. We're new, brash, powerful, arrogant and dangerous. It didn't make Shepard feel sympathetic. The old powers always try to knock out the new when they become a threat. It was foolish ego-salving as far as she was concerned. Especially now. The universe needed every species to be as powerful as it could be when the reapers arrived.

Shepard jogged up the steps and into the building. There was no way to tell which classroom Liara might be using but the doors of the classrooms not in use were all open and there were little bubble windows on the doors of the classrooms in use. Shepard quickly peered into each window and on the forth she hit paydirt. Teaching a small class of only ten students was Liara. Shepard stared at her and was relieved to see that she hadn't changed a bit. Makes sense. Two years is nothing to an asari. Shepard hoped that truth was mental as well as physical. To Shepard, after all, it had only been a few weeks since she last saw Liara. Feels like more. Was it more? Shepard had been having a hard time paying attention how much time was passing because she never seemed to have a moment to rest.

Liara was gesturing toward a hologram of a prothean hand. "...thorough that we can conclude that protheans must have had an ability to use to touch...to…" Liara trailed off and her hand dropped to her side as she locked eyes with Shepard.

Damn! Shepard had been staring through the window without thinking about it. She ducked out of the way. Sorry, Liara. I didn't mean to interrupt your class.

"Is everything alright, Liara?" one of the students asked. Liara? Do most students address their teachers by their first name or is it because Liara is so young. Shepard didn't like it.

"Yes...I...I'm sorry. I'm afraid I will have to cut class short today. My apologies."

"We still have twenty minutes left!" Another student protested. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"It's fine. We will pick this up next week. Please review your...book…" she continued, obviously distracted. Her students took the cue though and Shepard heard scraping and chatter as they got out of their seats. Shepard slipped into an empty classroom next door and waited until she could hear them fade out of earshot. Then she poked her head around the corner. Liara was in the doorway of her classroom. She jumped when she saw Shepard. "By the goddess," she said, placing a hand on her chest. "It truly is you...Shepard."

Shepard put a hand behind her head. "Sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt your class."

"Oh, that's alright," Liara responded. Shepard racked her brain for what to say next. This is awkward. Why is this so awkward? She glanced at Liara's face. I want to hug her. But something was holding her back. Before she could make up her mind, Liara gestured toward the classroom. "Would you like to sit down?" she touched her head. "I certainly need to."

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, just…" Liara wandered back into her classroom and sat herself at her desk. "...I can't believe you are here. After what happened on the Normandy…" Shepard sat down in the student chair closest to the desk. "We couldn't even find your body. Some held onto that as hope but I researched how much oxygen deprivation a human body can withstand. Not to mention the cold…" Shepard shivered. She didn't like to think about what had happened. "Is it really you?"

"As far as I can tell," Shepard said. "To me, all of that just happened. I've been in a medical coma for two years while my body was being rebuilt."

"Rebuilt?" Liara repeated. "By Ouroboros?" she asked softly.

Shepard's eyebrows rose. "How did you know that?"

"So it was them!" Liara shouted, slamming her hand on the desk. She winced and moved her hands to her lap. "I was desperate to find your body. Some leads suggested that Ouroboros had snatched your body before the Alliance could recover it. I've been trying to look into them but I haven't been getting anywhere. All my sources have dried up lately."

"Yeah, the Illusive Man seems like he'd be pretty ruthless about that kind of thing. It might be better that you never learned anything serious about them." Liara looked concerned so Shepard quickly added, "But listen. They did rebuild me and, as far as I can tell, didn't change me at all. The Illusive Man believes the reapers are coming and is also fighting against them."

"Well, that's good, I suppose," Liara said, glancing down at her lap. After that, an awkward silence stretched. What is she thinking? Shepard tried to think of something to say but nothing was coming easy. There was too much she wanted to say but she wasn't sure where to begin.

Then Garrus spoke into her ear. "Shepard, I've just spoken to my contact here. Things are already crazy, as usual. Thane found Morinth just before we arrived and is apparently fighting her and a bunch of Eclipse mercenaries in some warehouse the Eclipse use to store weapons and red sand."

"You're kidding me. They're still fighting? What are the police doing?"

"It's Eclipse property and they have a deal with the police. The warehouse is cordoned off but they're not interfering." Damn. I thought that drell was supposed to be an assassin, not a brawler. Still, he must be good to last so long. "Another wrench," Garrus continued. "Apparently, something called a 'justicar' stormed the place as soon as she caught wind of what was going on. My contact says she was also after Morinth but probably not on Thane's side."

"Perfection." Why is nothing simple? The coldly rational part of Shepard's brain was telling her to wait and see if Thane came out of this and then recruit him. Yet her body was already standing and her mouth was already asking Liara, "Do you have a car?"

"Why, yes. But what is going on, Shepard?" Liara asked, also getting to her feet.

"Garrus, I'll meet you there."

"Understood."

"I need to borrow your car, Liara."

"What is going on?" Liara repeated.

"I had a second reason for coming to Illium," Shepard said quickly. "I'm trying to put together a team to help me shut down the collectors. Garrus just found one of them and he is caught up in a fight. I need to make sure he survives."

"Let me come with you," Liara said without hesitation.

"Are you sure? It's going to be a nasty fight by the sound of it."

Liara gave a small smile that made Shepard's heart skip a beat. "I think I've proven that I can hold my own in a fight."

Shepard laughed. "So you have. I just didn't want you to get mixed up in this if you didn't have to…"

"If you are mixed up in it, Shepard, so am I."

That took Shepard aback a little. "Thank you," she said softly. Then she rolled her shoulders and shook her head slightly. "We better get going."

"Right." Liara nodded and set off. She was wearing a long dress but set a fast pace through the campus and to the parking garage. Her car was blue and compact. They got in and Liara took off. "Where are we going?"

Shepard brought up her omnitool. "These are the coordinates that Garrus gave me."

"Got it." Liara flipped the car around and blasted off. Shepard was impressed at smoothly she navigated the traffic on Illium. They landed in a small empty lot. Garrus, Viral and an asari that must have been Garrus' contact were waiting.

"Shepard," Garrus said. "I see you found Liara."

"It's wonderful to see you again, Garrus," Liara said with a warm smile.

Garrus coughed the way he did when he was embarrassed. "This is my old friend Asiyda D'riani, formerly of C-sec, now with the Illium Metropolitan Police."

Asiyda stepped forward to shake Shepard's hand. "Garrus says that you're the Shepard. First human Spectre? The savior of the Citadel?"

"As far as I know."

Asiyda pumped her hand a few extra times. "It's an honor to meet you, Commander. I was on the Citadel when Saren attacked. Without you, I'm certain I would've died."

Shepard got a little sick to her stomach. She was never sure how to react in these situations. Her natural reaction was to be humble and downplay it but some people took that the wrong way. She settled for saying. "Glad to meet you too, Asiyda. Any friend of Garrus is a friend of mine." A smile lit up Asiyda's features. Shepard gently extracted her hand and said, "So do we have a plan?"

"Well, I can get you in there," Asiyda said, "but that's about the extent of it. The higher-ups have forbidden us from interfering. They even wanted us to stop the justicar from going in but none of us were crazy enough to try that."

"Garrus mentioned something about her. What is a justicar?"

Asiyda scratched her cheek. "It's kind of hard to explain. They are individuals who have dedicated their life to justice. While they have no official place in law enforcement, asari all respect them and will normally cooperate with them. Their training is more extreme than any government agency could get away with so the ones that come out are nasty fighters. And ruthless. There is no forgiveness or mercy in their code."

Shepard considered all that. Sounds like a force for good that could run amuck if the individual lacks extraordinary self-discipline. Kind of like a Spectre, I suppose. "And you're certain this justicar is going after Morinth?"

Asiyda nodded. "Oh yeah. Samara harassed all of us about Morinth from the time she got here. She is obsessed with that...thing."

"Thing?" Shepard repeated.

"Morinth is an Ardat-Yakshi," Asiyda said with a shiver. "At least according to Samara."

Shepard wanted to ask more about what an 'Ardat-Yakshi' was but she was already feeling anxious about how long they'd been standing here.

"We should get going," Shepard said. "You can tell me more about Morinth on the way."

"Of course," Asiyda said. She pointed at her car. "So...how do we want to do this?" They eventually settled on Asiyda driving with Garrus sitting shotgun as he was biggest. In the back, Shepard sat in the middle with Viral on her left and Liara on her right. It was a little beneath her dignity as a Spectre but objectively the best seating arrangement.

Once they were all in, Shepard noticed that Liara was shooting quick but consistent looks at Viral. So she introduced them. "Liara, this is Viral. He is working with me on finding the collectors. Viral, this is my old friend Liara T'soni."

Viral glanced at her but didn't say anything. Liara stared at him and finally just blurted out, "What are you?"

It was hard to tell where he was looking because he still had the sunglasses on but Shepard had the feeling Viral was giving Liara a nasty side-eye. "I'm me," was his only response.

"Well, of course," Liara retorted, "but what manner of creature are you? If you're human, you've clearly undergone some extensive-"

"Liara," Shepard interrupted. "Not now." How did she notice Viral wasn't human without even seeing his eyes, teeth or hands?

"But Shepard…"

"Another time, Liara, I promise." Before Liara even had a chance to argue, Shepard leaned forward and said, "So tell me more about the Ardat-Yakshi."

A look of distaste washed over Asiyda. "I'm not surprised you haven't heard of them. Asari don't like to talk about it but...are you familiar at all with how asari mate?"

Shepard smirked and said, "I have some idea." She took a quick glance back at Liara, who was mortified, and had to suppress a laugh.

Asiyda didn't seem to notice. "Well, there are some-a very, very small percentage-of mutant asari that destroy their partner's mind when they mate with them. At best they turn them into vegetables but most of the time they kill them. Morinth is someone who decided to keep on mating even though she kills all her mates. According to Samara, she has been doing this for centuries."

All the humor drained out of Shepard. "So she is a serial killer."

Asiyda nodded. "I think that would be an accurate description." They rode in silence the rest of the way. Asiyda dropped them off on the roof of the warehouse and then suddenly seemed concerned. "Will you be alright? None of you have any armor or guns."

Shepard waved her away. "We've been in worse spots."

Asiyda looked so impressed by that response that it made Shepard slightly uncomfortable. "Okay! It was an honor to meet you, Commander! Garrus, don't leave without telling me all about what happened!" With that, she turned her car around and jetted away.

Shepard took a breath and changed gears. She took in the warehouse. It was much bigger than she had imagined, with several interconnected buildings. More like a warehouse complex. She couldn't even see the end of it from where she was standing. The only exit to the roof they were on was a small utility hatch. It was locked but easy enough to hack through. A latter led downward. Shepard slid down and landed on the scaffolding that wound its way around the top of the building. She made her way to the edge of the scaffolding and looked around. It really was a warehouse. Just cases upon cases stacked on top of each other, some as big as a bus. What are the Eclipse keeping in here? Must be more than just drugs and weapons. Illium had to be a major center for Eclipse smuggling.

Shepard also spotted to mercs down patrolling warehouse. Well, that was probably their actual duty. What they were really doing was standing in the middle of the warehouse, likely taking to each other. The fighting must be going on in a different part of the building. Lucky. She glanced back at her three companions and whispered, "Viral, you come with me. Liara, if either of those guards spots us, use your biotics to keep them off balance. Garrus, help her keep watch and...keep her safe."

Garrus nodded but Liara spoke up. "I don't need a minder-!"

Shepard put a finger to her lips and nodded in the direction of the guards. Liara bit back her words but was clearly disgruntled. Shepard didn't change her orders. Liara knew how to fight but she had still been a teacher for the last year at least. "Come on," she said softly to Viral. They descended the next latter. Shepard winced every time she made even a little sound. Viral, eerily, was completely silent. How does he do that? Shepard was an N7 graduate who had achieved rare marks in stealth. Yet even she couldn't hit every rung of the latter noiselessly. Maybe it's just all this cyber-crap that Ouroboros used to revive my body, she soothed herself.

They hit the floor. Shepard swallowed her pride and signaled for Viral to circle around, the more arduous task. Surprisingly, he understood her hand signal immediately. Did he study up on Alliance Marines? Shepard shook her head. More likely he just has enough experience to guess what I wanted. Shepard wound her way through the cramped passways through the crates until she was a short sprint away from the two conversing soldiers. Then she started a countdown in her head, estimating how long it would take Viral to get into position. While she waited, she also considered the best way to take down a person in full armor.

When her count ended, Shepard burst from the cover. She accelerated to full speed which was considerably faster than she remembered it being. Viral was coming just as hard from the other side. Neither of the guards had time to react, especially since they would have to readjust their positions or risk shooting each other. Shepard was on her merc so fast that her plans went out the window and she just straight-up shoulder-checked her. It hurt but it didn't break any of Shepard's bones like it probably should have. The merc careened to the floor and Shepard followed. She ripped off the asari's helmet and then smashed her in the face with it. The merc slumped and stopped moving.

Shepard quickly looked toward Viral but saw that he had snapped the other merc's neck with a minimum of fuss. She let out a long breath, glanced up to where Liara and Garrus waited and waved them down. Then she used the helmet to hack into the communication network of the Eclipse mercenaries and was rewarded right away. "What is taking so long?!" a female voice screamed over the com.

"The drell is like a damn ghost!" another female voice responded. "He just took out Niass and her squad but was gone by the time I got there. I'm trying to flush him out somewhere where I can corner him but it is taking time."

"Forget about that for now," the first voice spat. "The bitch just tore through the mechs and those morons you left to back them up. She's coming and the idiots you left with me won't last five seconds against her." The voice was raising with panic. Based on the context, Shepard was guessing it was Morinth. She's that scared of Samara, huh? "Get back here and help me put her down, then together we can hunt down that drell rat."

There was a long silence and then a sigh. "Fine. We're coming back." There was click as the channel changed and Shepard hurriedly flipped around until she heard, "Repeat, everyone return to navpoint alpha. This overrides all previous orders." A little bit of digging and Shepard found 'navpoint alpha.' Well, that was easy. Sometimes Shepard wondered if her greatest skill was being in the right place at the right time. She searched the merc she'd knocked out and found a Predator pistol and Katana shotgun. Cheap shit, Shepard thought sourly though she knew it was decent enough for mercenary work.

She stood up and saw that, unsurprisingly, it was Garrus searching the other merc rather than Viral. He came up with a Vindicator assault rifle and another Predator. "Not the worst haul," Garrus said, checking the Vindicator over. He tossed the pistol to Liara who bobbled it around before catching it.

"Want a shotgun?" Shepard asked Viral. He waved it away and Shepard thought she heard him mutter something about it being too small. True, something designed for human or asari hands would be small in those weirdly huge mitts. Maybe I should look at getting him something modified for krogan...Shepard dropped the shotgun. She wasn't a big fan of them. Too bad neither of these jokers had a sniper rifle. "Alright, I've identified where Samara, Morinth, Thane and the rest of these fools seem to be coming together for a final battle. Keep your eyes peeled for a drell skulking around. Don't forget that extracting him from here alive is our first priority." Though, from the sounds of things, he is handling himself just fine. "I'll take point. Garrus, you watch our backs. Let's move."

They hustled through the warehouse complex. Where they were was about as far from the action as possible. Which explained the relative lack of mercs but made Shepard anxious to get to where the fighting was. Luckily, nothing got in their way, confirming that the Eclipse really had pulled into one place. Shepard held out her hand when they got close to the navpoint and she could hear a firefight up ahead. They were in a short connecting hallway with only one entrance to the next warehouse. It made her nervous to know there was only one way in or out. If they're already fighting Samara and possibly Thane, will they still have the entrance covered? Even though it felt like something of a dick move, she waved Viral to her. He was, after all, the only one who could survive getting shot up. "Head through the door and wave us through if it's clear."

Viral nodded easily and then burst forward, running low to the ground and looking even more like and animal than he normally did. Shepard didn't register anything amiss when he went through the door and he swiftly came back into the doorway and waved for them to come on. Shepard raced forward. As soon as she was the door, she rolled for cover behind a large crate. Once Garrus and Liara had joined her, she poked her head up and took in the situation. Eclipse mercenaries were all over the place. Perhaps two dozen of them. Rushing around so fast that she seemed to blink in and out of existence was an asari in red armor. She was executing vanguard tactics against overwhelming odds. Never stop moving, protect yourself with a biotic shield, destabilize your opponents with waves and gun down any vulnerable opponent. Only she is doing it about a thousand times better than any vanguard I've ever seen in action.

A quick look around didn't turn up any evidence of Thane. It seemed like all of the Eclipse were focused on Samara. They haven't even noticed us yet. So which one is Morinth? Even as she thought the question, Shepard saw an asari that had to be. She was dressed in black armor, rather than the Eclipse colors. Her eyes never left Samara and Shepard could feel a sense of wrongness coming off her. Next to her was another asari in purple armor who was shouting commands at the Eclipse soldiers. That would be the captain then. A plan started to form in Shepard's mind before it was scuttled by the asari in black.

Clearly having been watching intently for her chance, Morinth thrust out a hand and the biotic shockwave she unleashed smashed into Samara just as she was pivoting. It knocked her off-balance, halting her for a few moments. The Eclipse didn't miss their chance, swinging their weapons in line to tear through her before she could recover. "Shit! Liara!" Shepard shouted, standing up. She triggered a volley from her pistol as soon she cleared the crate. With her new strength, her accuracy was even better than it had been. Every bullet would have smashed into Morinth's face if she hadn't thrown up a shield to protect herself. At the same time, Liara deployed a shield that sucked up the bullets of the other Eclipse for a few precious seconds until Samara regained her footing and warped out of the firezone.

Shepard ducked back down as the Eclipse leader screamed for some of the mercs to redirect their fire. "Damn," Shepard muttered. One time I try to go someplace without full armor.

"Liara," Garrus said. "See there are three clustered at two o'clock. Think you can tag them with a singularity?"

"No problem."

Shepard left them to it and charged up a fireball with her omnitool. She leaned out from the crate and fired it off. The merc she targeted lit up like a torch and started screaming and running in circles. Shepard quickly ducked back. That ought to provide a nice distraction. She stared up at the ceiling, wondering what to try next. She started when she saw something scuttling across the ceiling. Holy hell, is that Thane? Had to be. He was wearing dark clothing but there was no mistaking that it was a drell. Shepard smiled. He's got guts.

Shepard watched him cross the ceiling and then start down the wall behind Morinth and the Eclipse leader. She peeked out from around her crate and saw him drop silently behind them. He then confidently stepped forward and smoothly snapped the neck of the asari leader. Morinth jumped back and hit him with a wave that threw Thane away. Too late to save the Eclipse leader, though, so too late to save the Eclipse. "Liara, cover us!" She stood up with Garrus then both started firing. Liara threw up a shield to deflect the few shots that came their way. Samara shot back out and started rapidly ending soldiers. Viral, who Shepard had lost track of earlier, did much the same.

Soon, all of the Eclipse were down. That left Morinth alone. Shepard and Garrus trained their guns on her but Samara flung up a hand, "Hold!" Samara. "Please." Samara threw aside her gun and stalked toward Morinth. "Let us end this."

"You bitch!" Morinth cried. "Why won't you leave me alone?"

"You are my responsibility." Samara lifted her fist and Shepard saw that it was charged with biotic energy. Morinth screamed in frustration and attacked her. Her strikes were savage and powerful but it was quickly apparent who would win. Samara's technique was flawless and she was cold as ice against the palpable rage coming off of Morinth. The Ardat-Yakshi over-swung once that was it. Samara's cross-counter nailed her directly in the face and even Shepard, who still saw an entire race get murdered when she slept sometimes, winced at the sound of it. Morinth tumbled back and Shepard knew she would never get back up.

Samara slowly drew back her fist and stood stock still, staring at Morinth. Shepard was unsure of how to break the silence but then she saw Thane starting to edge backward. "Hold up, Thane," she said. "I came here to talk to you." Thane looked at her but she found it impossible to discern what was going on behind his black eyes. Then he nodded in silent acquiesce and she relaxed. When Shepard turned back, she found Samara's gaze on her. Her blue eyes were as inscrutable as Thane's. Shepard decided to introduce herself. "Samara, my name is Shepard-"

Samara turned around and interrupted her. "Yes, I know. Commander Shepard, first human Specter." A ghost of a smile appeared on her lips. "I daresay there are relatively few in Citadel space that don't know you on sight, Shepard."

Shepard frowned. She glanced at Garrus for confirmation. The turian shrugged. "You were all over the news after you stopped Saren and the geth. You the first human who achieved anything of galactic importance, which means you were the first human that mattered to regular people."

"You've become something of an avatar of humanity," Liara picked up. "To a lot of people, you represent what humans are. Both the good and the ill."

"Ill?" Shepard asked. Liara looked a little uncomfortable, so Shepard turned to Garrus. "Ill?"

It was Samara that answered. "Saving the Citadel took ingenuity and intrepidness," she said. "Yet letting the Council die so you could take out that dreadnaught showed ruthlessness and, to some, recklessness."

"And taking advantage of the crisis to put a human on the Council showed the ambition human have. Ambition that makes some nervous," Liara put in.

"Taking advantage?!" Shepard snapped. "We needed Anderson on that Council. I needed somebody who would listen to me!"

Liara held up her hands. "I'm not trying to blame you. I agree that a human belongs on the Council but a lot of beings haven't had the same experiences with humans that I have. They are...wary."

Shepard bit back her arguments. It wouldn't help. She was both surprised and unsurprised to find that asari and turians and salarians and all the rest had only grown more afraid of humans after she'd saved them. The funny thing was, it was human nature. They all liked to pretend they were beyond humans but they turned around and acted the very way they condemned humans for acting. I guess this also means my stealth play was probably futile... She shook her head and turned back to Samara. "Well, all that is neither here nor there right now. What I want to know, Samara, is are you doing anything later? Would you be able to meet somewhere to talk?"

Samara blinked in surprise. After a moment, she said, "There is a bar owned by an old friend of mine. It is known as Blue Moon. I'll be drinking there tonight. I would not mind sharing a drink with the Savior of the Citadel."

Shepard smiled brightly. "Glad to hear it." Samara smiled back but it was brief. Her face turned to stone again and she walked over to the corpse of Morinth and sat down next to it. Strange. Shepard had killed a lot of criminals and rarely given the corpse a second thought. I haven't chased one for four centuries either...To her even greater surprise, Liara walked over and sat down next to Samara. Liara leaned over and whispered something softly. Samara nodded silently and Liara took her hand. Together, they gazed at the corpse. Must be an asari thing.

Shepard walked to Thane who was waiting patiently, hands behind his back in parade rest. "Thane," Shepard began. "I came here to find you."

"So I've gathered," Thane said with a nod.

"Well, I'll just cut to it then. I want you to work with me. Everything I've read about you and seen here paints you as a top-notch assassin. I need your skills."

Thane blinked and Shepard thought he was probably weighing his next words carefully. "I am no longer an assassin for hire."

Shepard cocked her head. "What about Morinth?"

"I was asked to kill her by the parents of one of her victims but I wasn't paid."

Shepard narrowed her eyes. "What, are you trying to atone for your past deeds by using your abilities to kill evil people?"

If he was upset by her bluntness, he showed no signs. "Something like that."

Shepard smiled. "Well, then we might be in business. I don't need you to assassinate anyone. I need you because I'm putting together an elite team. Human colonists-as in entire colonies-are getting abducted by a race called the collectors. I'm going to shut them down but I need the best around me when I hit them. That's why I need you. If you really are trying to do good now, this will save several times more people than you could possibly do on your own."

"The collectors...I've heard of them." He nodded. "Very well, I will work with you, Shepard. This was to be my last job but I don't believe I could live with myself if turned you away."

"Thank you, Thane." The smile slipped of Shepard's face. "Sorry to drag you back into the muck when you were about to leave it though. Getting tired of killing?" Shepard glanced over her shoulder at the three asari, two living and one dead. They hadn't moved. "I know I am."

"Yes, that and…" Thane paused and Shepard turned back to him. "I suppose I should tell you. I'm dying."

"What?" Shepard asked, shocked. Nothing in his dossier had suggesting he was sick. "What's going on?"

"Kepral's Syndrome." Thane shook his head. "It's a drell-specific disease. It's not communicable and won't interfere with my abilities. Yet, at least."

Kepral's Syndrome. Shepard had never heard of it but she didn't know much about drell. "I don't want to force you to fight if you're sick," she said hesitantly.

Thane smiled softly. "Your concern is appreciated but rest isn't something that will make this better. Truth be told, I'm not looking forward to dying in a hospital…"

"...If you're sure."

He nodded decisively. "I am."

"Okay. Glad to have you with us then. Can you meet us at the spaceport early tomorrow morning? I'll contact you with the details."

"That will be fine. I have some things to finish but the rest of the day should be sufficient."

"Appreciated." Shepard looked at her companions. "I think it is about time for us to get out of here. Garrus, do you want to contact Asiyda?"

"On it."

Shepard turned to Samara and said, "I don't know if this goes against your code but I would appreciate it if you didn't mention my involvement here."

Samara nodded. "If you wish it, Shepard, I will refrain from mentioning you were here."

"Thank you. I'll see you later tonight?" Samara nodded silently. "Okay. We should go." The foursome made their way back to the warehouse where Asiyda had dropped them off and hitched a ride with her. They split up back at the empty lot, Garrus and Viral going to the hotel room and Shepard and Liara going to the asari's apartment. Shepard was surprised that Liara could afford such a nice place on a teacher's salary. She was also a little amused that the only decorations were prothean artifacts. Liara poured them both a glass of some blue liquor that Shepard didn't know the name of but liked very much.

"So, Shepard," Liara said, her tone half amused and half anxious. "Are you going to give me a recruitment pitch as well?"

Shepard took a sip of her drink. I would love to. You have no idea how much I'd love to. Truthfully, Shepard had always had a different plan for Liara. The asari was decent in a fight but Shepard had fighters. She needed to use somebody as smart as Liara for something else. I thought it would break my heart to ask her but...this distance. I don't know how to close it and I don't know what she is thinking. An immature part of Shepard had been hoping that just seeing Liara would clear all that away. In a way, though, it made what she had to ask Liara to do easier.

"Not exactly in the way you're thinking," Shepard said. "I do need you but not for this collector mission. I've got assassins and krogans to help me out with that. What I need is a way to beat the reapers altogether."

Liara stared at her for a long moment. "That is...a lot to ask, Shepard," Liara said.

One of the bigger understatements I've ever heard. "Believe me, I know. But we have to be proactive on this. Ever since I learned about the reapers I have been running from one crisis to another. That's not going to keep working forever, though. If we are only reactive, I am certain we will lose. The protheans gave us the gift of forewarning. We might be the only ones ever who knew the reapers were coming before they got here and it allowed us to stop them from taking the Citadel. What else have we done with the information, though? I've lost two years and I come back to nothing. The Council is pretending the problem doesn't exist. Only Ouroboros is actively working to counter the reapers but I can't completely trust the Illusive Man. We need to figure out a strategy to counter them before they are knocking on our front doorstep." Shepard stopped to catch her breath. She felt a little bad about unloading on Liara like that but her frustrations had been building up inside for a while.

"I understand what you are saying, Shepard, but I don't...I don't even know where I would begin. I've studied protheans for decades and I barely have a rudimentary grasp on them. The reapers left behind far, far less information than the protheans."

Shepard pointed at her head. "You have the memories the protheans punched into my brain." She pulled out a datapad that she'd hidden in an inner-pocket of her hoodie. She tapped a few buttons and a laser grid took a reading of Liara's face. "There, now this pad will only open if it recognizes your face or mine."

"A datapad?"

"I've recorded everything I know on it. Every prothean memory I could dredge up, every bit of information I've learned about the reapers along with every speculation and suspicion I have. Also a few suggestions for where to look for more information."

Liara picked it up. "This will be helpful…" she didn't need to add a 'but' for Shepard to hear it.

"I have something else as well." Or should I say, someone else. "You remember Viral."

"Yes, I was hoping to ask you more about that odd creature."

"You can ask him yourself. I'm going to assign him to be your bodyguard." Shepard was a little worried about that. Both whether Viral would accept it and whether she could trust him. Her gut was telling her that answer to the latter was 'yes,' though, and Shepard had learned to trust her instincts on people. "I'm not sure what Viral is but I know he is not human nor any of the species commonly known. I had an interesting conversation with him-the audio is on the datapad-that makes me think he knows a hell of a lot more about the reapers that he is telling me."

"Really?" Liara leaned forward, a spark in her blue eyes. "You don't know what he is but you think it may have something to do with the reapers?" Shepard nodded and, for a moment, she thought she had Liara convinced. Then the asari deflated a bit. "But, Shepard, you are much better at getting people to share things with you. I've never been gifted like that."

Shepard sighed. "I do seem to have a gift when it comes to people pouring out their deepest secrets with minor prodding but Viral hasn't spilled. He hides out on the ship and often runs off to do his own thing in battles. He might not let you know anything but just being around him more than I can be might unlock something." Liara still seemed unsure so Shepard leaned forward. "I know it's a lot and I won't blame you if you fail but...I've seen the reapers do what they do and I know, I know, that if we don't figure something out, they will slaughter us all. I will not let that happen but I need information and I don't trust anyone else in the galaxy to get me that information." Shepard felt terrible about using whatever feelings Liara had left for her but what choice did she have? Liara was the best person for this, Shepard was convinced.

Liara bowed her head and said, "You are right, Shepard. I was being selfish."

Shepard wanted to put a hand over Liara's. Hell, she wanted to sweep her into her arms and hold her tight. But should I? Indecision paralyzed her until the moment passed. "Thank you, Liara," she said, her voice sounding cold even to her own ears. "I knew I could count on you."

Author's Notes

Whew, it's been a while, hasn't it? Sorry, my motivation to write this waxes and wanes. But I'm committed to finishing it, no matter how long it takes! This chapter was pretty Mass Effect heavy. I found Kamina and Viral a bit hard to write this time but that's inspired me to watch Gurren Lagann again. I've only just started but I've already got some cool ideas on how to improve the integration. Hopefully watching Kamina do his thing again will keep my motivation high and I'll get another chapter out soon. Thanks for reading and thanks for your patience!