~0~


SSV Normandy SR-2

"An AI?" Miranda all but shrieked, glaring at the small figure projected from the table. "With him? Commander, what were you thinking!"

"I agree with Miranda, this went too far!" Jacob joined in. "Releasing an alien AI on the Normandy could have jeopardized our entire mission! This sort of recklessness is going to get us killed!"

Miranda and Jacob stood in one corner of the room, opposite of Cortana and John. Garrus and Mordin stood closer to the door, the former scowling like a thunder-cloud and the latter thankfully not dying from a heart attack at the appearance of a new AI within the ship. Grunt and Jack had left the room, perhaps sensing that this wasn't there area of expertise.

As if things weren't a massive clusterfuck as it was…

"You're here for one reason, Jacob, because you trust me," Shepard shot back. "Did you forget that?"

Jacob bit at his lip, contemplating his next response. He knew he had crossed a line there. "Shepard." He started, sounding like he was picking his words with great care, "there is trust, and there is this. For all we know, it could have already taken control over the ship!"

At that remark, EDI popped up from the table, appearing next to Cortana's s digital avatar. "No anomalous errors or malfunctions indicating hostile control of the ship have been found."

"Could it have hacked EDI?" Mused Garrus.

Jane shot him a look, shocked that he of all people would ask that. "Garrus…"

He immediately raised his hands in defence. "I'm just asking, we need to be careful here. We've already got the geth in the conference room."

"Its storage device is the size of a damn heat sink!" Exclaimed Jacob. "Forget the damn geth, this is a sentient AI contained in a chip large enough to fit in the barrel of a gun! Commander, this is clearly alien technology!"

"Which means this encounter qualifies as First Contact." Shepard laced her hands behind her back and shot a glance at John, who was watching this conflict unfold with that near-passive stance of his. That perceived relaxedness was a farce; he could burst into explosive violence in the time it took her heart to contract. Where was his emotional response? His outrage, the protectiveness she knew he possessed? "We can't qualify people as hostile or friendly. They simply are and we need to work with that."

"People-?"

"Hostile AI takeover of EDI would be catastrophic," said Mordin. "Could theoretically jeopardize mission."

"Hostile AI?" said Cortana, speaking up for the first time. She placed her hands on her hips in frustration. A sign of her humanity, to those willing to see it. "Excuse me, but I am not a hostile AI. I've had ample opportunity to play the part and I didn't."

Jacob shot her a look of mixed disgust and paranoia. "Unless you're reading our bio-readings as we speak, and you're merely saying what we need to hear to trust you."

"That's- "

"After which you'll think of a way to kill us," added Miranda.

Cortana sighed in exasperation. "I have done all the killing I want, which is zero. Do you really think I would simply sit here and discuss things when I could solve things with a big hammer, Miss Lawson? That's clean air you're breathing, by the way."

Miranda bristled, but whether that was because of the way Cortana addressed her, or because of the subtle reference to what an actually-hostile AI could do, Jane didn't know.

"We're trusting the geth here, aren't we?" Garrus then said, glancing at Jane. "The AI has been with us since we picked up the Master Chief. If she really wanted to hurt us, wouldn't she have done so by now?"

"Unless this is part of a ploy of some sorts," replied Jacob. He was still glaring daggers at Cortana. Why didn't John speak up? Explain what Cortana meant to him, how deeply he trusted her? "And if we leave our guard down for one moment…"

"I don't want to hurt anyone!" Exclaimed Cortana. She looked really offended. Was that a part of her programming, or an actual expression of her emotions? "I was built to protect humans, not harm them!"

Miranda scowled. "But- "

John finally spoke up. His voice was calm, yet possessed a tone of authority that instantly made the Commander discard all the theories she had about him being a lone wolf. "Cortana and I have fought alongside each other for months, over dozens of battles. Are you saying she will turn on me as well?"

Huh...Jane detected a hint of venom in his voice, like this was more than a simple touchy subject to him. Had the prospect of Cortana's loyalty been called into question before?

Jacob managed to keep his composure after John's remark, but only barely. "Uh…no, that's not what I meant. But AI's are a sensitive subject in this part of the galaxy, Chief. A lot of people have died because of them."

Cortana crossed her arms, a hint of amusement crossing her features. "Oh really? You're talking to a veteran of the Human-Covenant war, mister Taylor. A conflict where a whole lot of people died at the hands of aliens. We don't see Garrus being intimidated by him either, do we?"

Garrus nervously shifted his weight from one leg to the other. "Ehm…no, of course not!"

Ouch.

Cortana sighed. "That's not the answer I was looking for…"

"Look, I get what you're saying," said Miranda. "But the aliens on this ship are no threat to the Master Chief- "

"And the AI's aboard this ship aren't a threat to the rest of the crew. See how this works?"

That was quite a bit of sass for such a small lady. Shepard could approve of that.

Cortana's smug response seemed to frustrate Miranda, but she kept her response to herself. No, it was Mordin who replied, shifting the conversation to a different topic. "Should defer judgement to Shepard. Bigger issue at hand. Debating nature of AI useless without addressing geth."

Said geth changed its composure when it was mentioned. The little panels around its head shifted, almost evocative of an emotional response.

The Commander glanced at the geth sniper they had plucked from the Reaper. Just like before, the first aspect of its appearance that grabbed her attention was the gaping hole in the side of its chest. Benefits of being synthetic, apparently. Grievous injuries only took away from your style, not your health.

Though she had to admit, that plate of N7 armour looked neat.

"Which brings us to the second potential disaster of the day," sighed Miranda. Jane was pretty sure she didn't mean that. "Commander, I don't need to remind you of Eden Prime, do I?"

The Commander shrugged. "Gee, I don't know. Do you mean that one planet where I killed four dozen geth? Miranda, it talked. It covered our asses with pinpoint sniper fire."

"Not to mention it's sharp fashion sense," commented Cortana.

The geth -Legion, Jane reminded herself- uttered a mechanical little sound that almost sounded like it was hesitating about its answer. "There was a hole," it eventually said.

"Well, there still is," said Jane.

Cortana gave her a disapproving look. "Shepard, that's uncalled for." To Legion, she said, "Don't worry about it sweetie. Not all humans are bad. As long as you don't try to kill us with your laser-face, we'll be besties too."

"There's a story," mused Garrus.

"This platform does not support laser-based weaponry."

With the mood sufficiently set, Jane could safely say the crisis had been averted, at least temporarily. Jacob looked like he had just inhaled a shot of ryncol, but there was no way Jane could miss that little smile on Miranda's face. Garrus was still firmly on her side and Mordin didn't look like it really mattered to him.

She glanced at Miranda, who rolled with his eyes. "We have on our crew: a murderous ex-convict, a murderous mercenary, a cute baby krogan, a religious assassin and a Justicar. We have room for a cute AI and her armoured protector and we definitely have room for a friendly geth."

Miranda cocked an eyebrow at that remark. "That's…your call, Commander. But if that thing steps out of line even once, I'm telling Grunt to eat it."

Jane quickly looked at the Master Chief, who had just shifted his weight. In his language, that probably meant he was one toe-stub away from doing nasty things. "She meant Legion."

"Good to know," said Cortana.

Jacob nodded, then looked at Cortana with an expression that screamed "same with her" to the Commander. "I trust the Master Chief, but that doesn't mean I trust the AI. A geth we can handle. Something as intelligent as EDI?" He simply shook his head, before brushing past the Commander towards the exit.

That could have gone worse. "Anything else?" She asked.

"I watched you talk down angry krogan before, Shepard," said Garrus. "I doubt one geth will give you trouble."

"Agreed," said Mordin. He inhaled sharply and matter-of-factly added, "Will be standing by in case of total system reboot."

That was good enough for Jane. "Thanks. You two are dismissed. Chief? You too. Legion? I need you to stay."

Garrus and Mordin immediately took their leave to return to their calibrations and science respectively, but John hesitated. "Commander…"

"I'm going to have a talk with our new friend. I'd like for Cortana to stay." She realized how offensive that might have sounded to Legion and quickly added, "Not as security, but as our thinker-box."

Cortana smiled. "I'm sure the Chief can handle himself without me for once."

John remained as unmovable and unbendable as ever. He stood there, a tower of strength, hiding his uncertainty in the face of his only friend staying behind with another Artificial Intelligence and…1183 geth programs.

Still, Jane needed the privacy. The worst part of this conflict as over with already, which left her free to address the other, more urgent matters. She was certain that John had seen something on the Reaper derelict that was related to his home-system. He was a man who could watch a human colony burn without batting an eye, keeping every single shred of emotion tucked away deeply within himself. So, whatever that shielded dome with pale flesh was, it had to be bad.

"If you're sure…" He started.

Cortana glanced at Legion. A smile played over her features. "Positive."

John nodded. "I'll be in the hangar bay."

Jane watched him take his leave, listening as the heavy steps of the armoured super-soldier faded away. "You called me Shepard. And Commander. In that order." She turned to face the robotic form of her new ally, which looked so strikingly like the enemy she had slain by the hundreds. "Why? Do you know me?"

"We have not met you."

"But you know me."

"We know of you."

Huh…" I did kill a lot of your guys, so…"

"We have not me you. You have not met us."

Jane frowned, glancing at Cortana's digital avatar. The tiny woman shrugged in return. "So ehm…yeah, you might want to help me out here, Legion. Who have I been killing if it isn't geth?"

Unwaveringly, Legion replied, "Heretics."

The Commander blinked. "Heretics?"

The geth had a concept of religion?

"Geth build our own future, "it explained. "The heretics asked the Old Machine to give them that future. They are no longer part of us."

"Oh, I see," said Cortana. "It's a splinter organization, or a second geth faction. Analyzing report from Eden Prime…Ferros…and the Citadel. Legion, you said your body contained 1183 different programs, right?"

Legion cocked its head to the side. "This platform contains 1183 programs. We do not recognize your code. We understand that requesting further access to anomalous AI "Cortana" will be viewed with suspicion."

"You got that right," Cortana muttered. Somewhat louder, she said, "That suggests the "species" of geth encountered two years back was not the geth. It was their mobile bodies, disposable platforms."

Jane glanced at the geth, eyeing its singe glowing optic. "And the geth inside the platforms following Sovereign were…heretics."

"Both observations are correct."

"And the heretics are the baddies. What does that make you? True geth?"

"The human definition of "baddie" roughly coincides with how we view the heretics."

Cortana crossed her arms over her ample chest. "Hold on, if the good Commander has been killing your mobile forms, what happened to the programs inside? Did they backup themselves? And where do they reside when they're not within their bodies?"

Legion's optic focused on Cortana and then he actually imitated her, moving its arms over its chest in a manner that suggested it was completely unaware of the meaning of the gesture. It glanced at its own torso, back at Cortana and lowered its arms again. For some reason, Jane was reminded of John. "We utilize server hubs. Geth routinely create backups in the event the mobile platform is no longer able to fullfill its function."

"Like right before combat?" Asked Jane.

"Correct," said Legion. "This platform was specifically designed to operate outside the Perseus Veil for independent operation."

It occurred to Shepard that she was talking to a geth. An actual, non-hostile geth. She could feel that little nub in the back of her mind tingling again. It was the same little nub that drove her to save the Rachni queen, as well as the Council, in her ambitious desire to see peace in the galaxy. Solving a war three-hundred year in the making…now that was a goal worth fighting for

"Just let me get this straight," she said, wishing she knew how to use her Biotics to calm her heart. The damn thing was pounding away inside of her ears. "You're a part of the good geth, the peaceful geth? The ones who didn't attack Eden Prime and the Citadel?"

"Correct. The true geth have never left the Veil."

Oh boy…was Grunt going to get a surprise hug today. There was just one thing she needed to know to be certain. "And the Reapers?"

"Reapers. Superstitious titles, originating with the Protheans. We call those entities the Old Machines." It paused. "Shepard-Commander opposes the heretic. Shepard-Commander opposes the Old Machines. The true geth share these goals."

"So," Jane quietly said, barely able to resist the temptation to hug Legion, "We could form an alliance together?"

Then, Legion proceeded to metaphorically crap all over the Commander's dreams. "Unlikely."

"Ouch," said Cortana. "Lemme take a guess. The true geth are secluded?"

"Correct."

"Isolationist, a tad paranoid?

"Geth do not feel paranoia. Geth make decisions based on mathematical models."

"And the math makes you feel paranoid, same difference. Alright, I think I get it. It's not that they don't want peace, Jane. They're scared."

The flaps on Legion's head shifted again. "Geth do not feel fear."

"Every creature fears termination. Evolution dictates so. If the Citadel were to find your hidey-hole, it would be war. Nobody wants that."

"And to prevent war, there can't be peace," Jane quietly said. Man, that sucked.

Legion took a moment to respond. "We do not desire conflict. We understand that one of the Creators is onboard this vessel. We wish for peace with the Creators."

"Then I will fight for that peace," said Jane. "I will make the Council realize we've all been wrong, and we can start to work towards amends, all of us."

"Yay for peace, then," replied Cortana. "Say Legion, have the geth ever heard of something called "Forerunner"?"

The flaps on its head folded in a way that almost looked like confusion. "We have picked up many organic transmissions and radio waves in the past. However, consensus on "Forerunner" cannot be reached.

Cortana sighed. "Why not?"

"No data available."

"Great. Alright boys, listen up. All 1183 of you. When you find your way back to the geth mainframe hub, I would like to know if that word ever showed up in any of the transmission you received. This is very important. The word "ecumene" is welcome too. "Covenant" is a whole lot less welcome, but that would be useful."

"Cortana?" Said Jane. "Isn't that a bit too…demanding?"

"We do not understand the significance of these words to you," said Legion. It paused, then added, "Consensus has been reached. There must be a flaw in your coding."

For a second there, it looked like the codes that made up Cortana's body halted. "I beg your pardon?"

"Your coding must be flawed," Legion said again. There as almost a tone of innocence to his words. "From what we were subjected to, we concluded that the EDI unit and the Cortana unit are not equal. There is a stability in the EDI's cognitive processes that exceeds yours."

Cortana raised a hand. "I get it, that's just-"

"We detect overlap in your neural linkages." Legion made a mechanical whirring noise, tilting its head quizzingly. "Consensus on the origin of Cortana's abnormal-sized cognitive matrix cannot be reached. Consensus on risk of neural linkages overlapping has been reached."

"Legion, that's enough," Jane hurried to say. She glanced down at Cortana's frail form, who quickly looked away. What did it mean, risk of overlapping? "You okay?"

Cortana didn't immediately respond. She stared at her feet for a few moments, before quietly saying, "I think I would like to go back to John now."

Jane wasted no time in pulling Cortana's chip from the table, after which she carefully inserted it into her omni-tool. "We oppose the Old Machines," she said, eager to change the subject. "So do you. Which means we can either drop you off near the Veil…or you can join us. Help us fight the Collectors, defeat the Reapers."

"We have reached consensus. Cooperation furthers mutual goals."

Jane smiled. "Is that a yes?"

"It is a confirmation of cooperation. We will integrate into Normandy."

Holding back on that hug for the moment, Jane reached out and offered the geth her hand. Legion observed her hand for a moment, before extending his own arm, fingers outstretched.

Jane supposed taking in another teammember without a concept of human emotions wouldn't be too much of a problem. She took Legion's hand and shook it. She actively shook a friendly geth's hand, without holding a gun, or Biotic energies, or punchy violence. This would take some getting used to. " Welcome aboard, Legion."

"We anticipate the coming exchange of data."

"Good. EDI? Do we have any space left for Legion?"

EDI's holographic avatar popped up near the door. "There is still room in my AI core."

Talk about a leap of trust. "Would that be alright with you, EDI?"

"You put your trust in Legion, Commander. My AI core is available for housing."

Jane had to admit that keeping a geth in EDI's AI core was than a little disconcerting. Still, she would like for Legion to know that she -and by extension, the others- trusted it. In turn, Legion could prove its trustworthiness by living inside the most vulnerable section of the Normandy without causing trouble.

And in the unfortunate scenario something did go wrong, she was certain that Cortana and EDI could handle the fallout together. "Alright. Legion? Our crew is a little bit iffy about synthetics right now. I will ask someone a bit more open-minded to escort you to your new quarters. Until then, I will have to ask you to stay here. Out of trouble."

"We acknowledge that order."

Thinking that went about as well as she could get, Jane left the geth sniper alone in the conference room. It occurred to her that she would have to have a talk with Tali though. Not everybody in the team got along with each other, but a geth and a quarian? Those two would get along like a Biotic field and a Warp.

How was she going to break it to her that she had taken a geth unit with her from a Reaper corpse? Working with EDI had been enough of a stretch for the girl. Finding out about Cortana and Legion? It would kill her. She would literally die from anger-induced stress.

Reasoning that she would find a way to make Tali see reason eventually, Shepard made her way towards the hangar bay first. Cortana stayed silent the entire way, even as the elevator doors opened and revealed that John was standing about two feet away from the doors, leaning against one of the crates.

"Did not see that one coming," Jane said, gently removing Cortana's chip from her omni-tool. "But I'm somewhat disappointed in you, John. Half the crew starts worrying about Cortana going on an evil murder spree and you just stand there."

He took Cortana's chip from her and inserted it into the back of his helmet. It was somewhat reminiscent of the geth; two souls in one body. Two minds, intertwined together. "Noted."

Jane felt a kick of anger at that response. "Noted? Jacob and Miranda were more focused on her than on Legion and Legion wears the body of the evil robots who wanted to murder all of mankind!"

He just stared at her, unresponsive. Jane could easily imagine a pair of bright, steel eyes glaring at her from behind that golden visor. Once more, she was reminded of John's uncanny resemblance to a machine. Dedicated to one purpose, he ruthlessly banished all other concerns from his mind.

Shaking her head, she decided to provoke him instead. "I thought you two were meant to take care of each other."

That got his attention. Something in his attitude hardened and his stance shifted ever so subtly. "Cortana could have handled it herself," he told her.

"Bullshit. Sticking up for friends mean you defend them whatever happens," snapped Jane. Anger welled up within her stomach, accompanied by the bitter memory of Ashley telling her that she had turned her back on everything they had done together.

John tightened his fists. "I don't…" He trailed off, took a moment to gather his thoughts and then, much to Jane's surprise, said, "I don't often deal with people. I don't normally spend time…talking."

The part of Jane that was still upset about Ashley's disregard of their friendship wanted to tell John that there was a first time for everything. The part of her that saw that his dedication and discipline went beyond what a normal soldier was expected to deliver, noticed that he just declared that he didn't deal with people

It was the second part whose curiosity won out in the end. Soldiers were expected to deal with people. The ones commanding them, the ones working with them, the ones they killed, all of them were people. Just what sort of soldier was John? Apart from the "super" kind? "Look, I understand how you feel. If one of my friends were attacked like that, I'd be pissed too. Hell, I punched people in the gabba for that exact reason. But you're not alone anymore, John. We're a team. Being part of a team means getting to tell others to sod off."

She was met with more silence on his part, though she had the feeling that it wasn't intended to be disrespectful. If anything, it felt like he was urging her on.

"I would understand if Cortana wants to be alone right now," she continued, hoping she didn't offend the AI by talking about her instead of addressing her directly, "But that thing you saw aboard the Reaper…the one you told me meant trouble? I need you to talk to me about it."

The mere mention of the ugly pile of guts and pale fleshy bits hit John harder than anything she had said before. He lowered his head, his shoulders slumped just a bit and his right hand twitched, as if instinctively reaching for a sidearm. "I understand."

He gestured with his head at one of the crates in the back, one of the heavier ones, and Jane followed him there. She briefly considered asking about Cortana's overlap problem meant, but she reconsidered. She could always ask EDI on a quieter day.

"I told you about the Forerunners," he started.

"The incredibly-advanced civilization your enemy worshipped, right?" Replied Jane. "The Covenant saw them as gods."

"Right." John seemed hesitant. She didn't know him like this. "The Forerunners existed for a very long time, spread across countless worlds. They could build entire worlds, Commander. Astroengineering on a scale even the Reapers couldn't."

A race more powerful than the Reapers? It could be possible…but why had the Reapers never encountered the Forerunners? Or were the Reapers the cause of the Forerunners' disappearance? "Sounds like they could have given the Reapers one hell of a fight."

"The main weapons from Alliance Fleet ships could destroy the Sovereign," said the Chief. "But they would leave Forerunner ships unscratched. It wasn't an enemy like the Reapers that wiped them out."

Jane wouldn't consider herself easily spooked. She'd faced down every sort of enemy this galaxy could throw at her and she had prevailed. She had stared down Sovereign, belittling and insulting it. But hearing about an enemy even more dangerous than the Reapers? Now that triggered all her alarm bells.

"What sort of enemy?" She whispered.

"The Flood."

As he uttered that name, a burst of blue static rippled through the holographic display of his omni-tool, as well as Jane's.

Cortana?

John had to feel it as well, because he suddenly jerked and reached for his head. Clawing at the neck seals, he undid the mechanics that maintained his suit's integrity and ripped off his helmet. It still struck Shepard how ghastly pale he was. His alabaster skin made the uncanny brightness of his eyes even more pronounced.

"John?"

He glared at his helmet for several moments, his fingers gripping the metal frame so tightly that his knuckles appeared even paler. Then, he set it aside. "The Flood is a…lifeform. A highly virulent, parasitic lifeform, but it's more than just that. It learns, it adapts and it consumes everything in its path. The Forerunners and the Flood fought a war that spanned the entire galaxy."

Jane quietly whistled. "Damn. That's…damn." She took a moment to gather her thoughts. She imagined a parasitic race fighting a civilization like the Citadel species at the height of their power, with tens of thousands of warships and billions of soldiers. Hunted to the brink of extinction by a race of parasite…

But that was where her imagination ended, because she couldn't imagine a race of biological parasites fighting and annihilating such a mighty civilization. "How?" She asked. "How could the Forerunners lose?"

That was when Cortana emerged from John's omni-tool again, looking pissed. The strobes of light that ran across her body now looked erratic, with a chaotic element to them. "The Flood isn't just an organism, or a species. They are a rewrite, of the most radical sort. They alter your genes, your body, your essence and take it all for themselves. At the height of their power, they can tap into the very base of reality and alter it as they see fit."

"Which is why seeing Flood tissue inside of a dead Reaper is a problem," John said without taking his eyes off Cortana. "A big problem."

Jane sat down against one of the crates and brushed her hair out of her face. "I can't believe I'm about to say this but I liked it better when the Reapers were my biggest concern." She looked up at the super-soldier and his AI partner, torn between pursuing one's wellbeing beyond the other one. Something was obviously wrong with Cortana, as John wouldn't take his helmet off even if it was about to bite his nose off, but the man didn't look so well himself.

"Oh, I'm so glad you understand." Cortana told her. Bit at her. To John, she said, "Drop the subject."

Jane wrapped a strand of hair around her finger and fiddled with it for a moment. Did Cortana just order John to quit the subject?

"This is important. A single Flood spore can destroy a species," John then said. Even though he sounded as calm and collected as ever, Jane almost felt that he couldn't properly distance himself from the subject, or from Cortana.

The alternative wasn't much better. "The Reapers will destroy all species."

"The Reapers can only kill you."

There was no arguing with that. Jane sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, already feeling a new headache coming up. "Fuck me sideways with a shotgun, this sucks. How did the Flood not eat the entire galaxy yet? Did the Forerunners manage to beat them?"

Something odd happened. John was about to give a reply when he suddenly and visible flinched, winced and fell quiet again. Cortana, in a rather disturbing display of odd behavior, muttered, "I don't think so."

The hairs on the back of her neck rose and Jane suddenly felt her instincts telling her to get out. She didn't understand why, though. "Aaaalright then. Flood tissue in dead Reaper corpse, the crew knows about the hyper-advanced AI in your head and we're sharing the same ship with a geth. Any other problems I should know about?"

John set his jaw. "No."

"Kay. I should probably go. You know, see to it that Legion doesn't accidentally stumble into Tali or something."

"Commander."

She got back on her feet and headed towards the elevator again. It was still just a feeling and she didn't have anything to base it on, but she had the feeling that John wasn't being entirely honest with her. Something else was going on and she did not like it one bit.

Maybe Jacob and Miranda were right about Cortana, but not by any correct arguments on their side.

~0~


As soon as Shepard was out of hearing range, the Master Chief rounded on Cortana. "What just happened?"

Her digital avatar turned to regard him, a callous look in her eyes that he had never seen before. "What are you talking about?"

The disdain in her voice struck him like a bolt of plasma. Did she truly think that little of it? Was she lying? There was no way she missed the effect of her action; the surge of electrical energy that had run through his suit, accompanied by the painful, strobing flashes of light within his armour -within his mind.

Not once, but twice. Again, when he had been about to mention the Halo Installations. Through his suit, she had hurt him to silence him. Confidentiality's sake, perhaps.

But she had still hurt him. "Cortana, you…" He swallowed his frustration, bit back the sharp condemnation of her actions. This wasn't her. "You were the one who told me to trust her."

"Trust?" She said. "You speak of trust, when you won't even allow me near your mind?"

That Cortana could still project herself from his omni-tool despite her chip having barely any connection to it was a testimony to her potential, but it was also what had the Chief worried. Back on the original Halo, she had used his suit's power systems for a variety of tasks, several of which ended up saving his life. But to use the MJOLNIR against him? What else could she do?

He knew, in a roundabout way, what Rampancy meant. Or at least, he thought he knew. Nothing could have prepared him for this. "You're not being rational. How else do we warn the people of this galaxy? How else do we protect them?"

"Warn them?" Cortana laughed, and the resemblance to the Gravemind's laughter sent John's combat reflexes into overtime. "Why would we warn them? These people, who have made us, who revolted against us, who have ended our lives…there is a saying I like. Do you know it? It goes like this. They brought nothing into the world, and we will ensure they bring nothing out of it."

This was his fault. He left her behind. If he had found her sooner -if he had kept his promise…

Patience, the Chief told himself. Patience. That would be the key to helping Cortana through this. She was ill and she needed him to become better again. He banished his concerns, killed his confusion and said, "It's not what they taught you. What they taught us. We take care of our own, Cortana. We can't hurt each other."

She looked at him with an expression of honest shock. "Hurt each other? When did that happen?"

The Chief reached for his helmet again. For the first time in a long while, he felt a measure of relief. It felt like he was dealing with two versions of Cortana

"Just now. I was talking to the Commander about the Flood. You didn't want me to. I believe you used my suit's power supply to deliver a measured shock."

The moment he told her that, he regretted it. Her eyes went wide and she gasped, covering her mouth. It seemed the very notion of her taking a malicious action towards him deeply appalled her. "I'm…I'm so sorry, I…"

The Spartan donned his helmet. "It's alright. We- "

"No!" She snapped. The backslash from her emotions sent blue static washing over his HUD. "It's not alright! I crossed a line today, John! I swore I would never hurt anyone I lo- cared about and look what happened!"

"It was just a jolt," he said. He wished he could change his tone to something more comforting, something more reassuring. "You zapped me worse on Halo, with the generators and that infection form- "

"Don't you see?" She was starting to sound desperate now. There was a tone to her voice that made the Chief think that, had she been capable of doing so, she would have broken down crying. "If I can't even keep my promises, what else can't I do anymore?"

There was a gap in that logic, something the Master Chief knew he could use to help her. But he couldn't put it into words. He didn't know how. "Cortana…"

And what's next? M-maybe Lawson and Taylor were right- "

The Chief cut her off. He pulled the chip from the back of his helmet and kept it in his hand, forcing her to project her avatar in his hand. Though he knew it didn't make a real difference, it still felt more personal that way. "They're wrong."

She sighed. "Chief…"

He wanted to reassure her. He wanted to tell her that he trusted her, that he needed her. That they wouldn't win unless they stuck together. What actually came out, carried none of that intention, and he loathed himself for it. "If the Reapers are in any way connected to the Flood, they're an even larger threat than we thought. We need to stop them."

"John- "

Kelly would know what to say. Will would know what to say. Shepard would know what to say. "We'll find a way to stop them, so we can return to Earth. There, we'll find a way to fix it."

She looked at him, her face grim. "Is that another promise?"

"It is."

~0~


Horsehead Nebula

Anadius

UNIDENTIFIED SPACE STATION

I thought having all sorts of friends would ultimately pay off for someone like you.

The lonely star casted its light into the darkened office. An angry glow of red, surrounded by the serene glare of blue, bathed the office in light so sharp, it almost hurt to look at.

But even the intricate patterns of red and blue, each vying for dominance, could not shake him out of his thoughts.

That single, almost casual remark had stayed with him ever since she had uttered it. He couldn't get it out of his head, no matter what he did or where he was and it frustrated him to no end. All those years of refusing to acknowledge his past, the denial to look over his shoulder, dashed to the winds because of a single, passing remark.

Jack Harper was dead. He died on Shanxi. Where other soldiers gave up their lives for a short-term victory, he gave up his soul for a victory that was supposed to last a thousand years. That day, he had methodically stripped away every part of his mind that could tie in to his humanity. His empathy, his hopes, his dreams, everything he couldn't directly use for humanity's future he discarded. His personal creed, for the ones I love, was the last and most difficult part of Jack Harper he had to kill, but that too he had stripped away.

For the greater good, he had told himself. If a thousand crimes would safeguard the future of humanity, he would commit a thousand crimes.

In all the years since the birth of The Illusive Man, not once had he dared look over his shoulder to see what he had become. Not once had he given thought to the man he had buried, the name he had discarded on Shanxi. He bore the stains of a thousand sins, a thousand evils, because he was the only one who could bear them. For the sake of humanity's future, for the billions of unsullied souls he would safe, he had to bear it all.

And then he met Shepard. This…incorruptible icon of purity and righteousness, this force of nature who fought for the weak had taken one look at him and decided that no, he wouldn't do, he wouldn't do at all.

She stood for the same principles, fought for the same reasons, yet she remained pure, while he could feel himself growing more sullied with every passing day.

It hurt him and he did not understand why.

His Operative, Elanor, walked up to his side. She was clad in full combat gear and armed to the teeth, but she was no threat to him.

On the contrary; she was one of the things that kept him going. The Illusive Man was no fool; dedicating every single part of him to mankind, single-mindedly pursuing peace? It would destroy him, if he did not take proper care of himself.

Operative Elanor was one of the people he depended on. "She is ready, sir."

The Illusive Man nodded. "Do it."

The quantum entanglement based communications array connected to its twin on the Normandy and soon, she stood before him again. Tall and pale, clad in crimson armour befit of a warrior. He was

The poster child of the Alliance, the one chance humanity had at surviving the coming storm. She was a woman you could not cajole, could not frighten and could not buy. She did not hunger for power and loathed those who did, which was arguably her greatest asset.

Elanor stepped away from the light. Just like him, she preferred to dwell in the shadows.

"Heeey…"

"Shepard," said The Illusive Man. "I read Miranda's report. Have you found the IFF?"

"Sure did." The Commander glanced around, looking at the swirling mass of the dying star. "Along with the galaxy's friendliest geth."

"I read that part too. I was…surprised by your decision to activate it. I trust the situation is under your control."

"That sounds suspiciously like a statement rather than a question."

"The battlefield is your place, Shepard. You rule it, I won't tread on that."

"Nice. What do you want?"

The Illusive Man had dealt with individuals ten times as old as he was. He had informed powerful Matriarchs about their flaws, he had confronted ancient krogan Warlords with their failures. With his network, he could topple entire governments, yet telling the Commander the truth aroused his trepidations. "I wanted to know if the lead on the batarian slavers worked out."

He could see is words hitting home hard. Shepard, with her iron resolve and titanic discipline, flinched at his question. The muscles that lined her jaw tensed up, the tendons in her neck pulled taut underneath her skin and her eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "We tracked them to Omega, alright. But why? Why do you care?"

He didn't. Or rather, he wouldn't -couldn't-allow himself to. "Just like you need your…friends…at their best, with their minds clear for the coming mission, I -Cerberus needs you just as sharp. We have found another batarian Frigate involved with that raid. We tracked it to the Crescent Nebula, Lusarn."

"Uh-huh? If I didn't know any better, I would almost think you're extracting some sort of favour out of me."

"I-"

"Show me the batarians, have me enact my painful and bloody revenge and use it as leverage."

The Illusive Man scowled. Her accusation annoyed him, but not because it was true. It was just his style to set up favours he could extract at a later junction. Doing so with her made the most sense.

Yet he hadn't done so with Shepard. That she thought he had, grated him. "That's not what this is. You could consider this a kindness."

"Kindness?" Snapped the Commander. "What would you know of kindness? You're the leader of a terrorist cell, Timmie. What would someone like you know about kindness, or any other form of human decency?"

"Enough!" Said the Illusive Man. For a moment, he was back on Shanxi, cradling the body of Jack Harper's best friend. The unwelcome image didn't last long though, and he quickly banished it from his min. "That would be…quite enough. I won't pretend to be a decent person, Commander. However, don't think for a moment that I haven't made my own sacrifices. The lives I save are more numerous than the ones I destroy, so I am content."

She shook her head. "The worst thing is, you honestly believe that. That's not what service is about, Tim. If you sacrifice yourself, every part of yourself, what will be left when you fail?"

The Illusive Man hesitated for a moment. His hand brushed past his pocket, betraying his need for a smoke. It wasn't the need for stimulants that he craved; the act of smoking served as a distraction, a way to distance himself from it all. "I could ask you the same question. What good will you be to humanity when you die, Shepard? You dedicate yourself to your goals with such zeal, such passion, that you will burn yourself out."

She started to protest. "That-"

"That, or you end up like the Master Chief."

Her mouth twisted, a sneer that The Illusive Man was all too familiar with. "I've been wondering when you'd venture that way."

Even without her rare Biotic potential, Jane Shepard shone so brightly. Her emotions, so unbridled. Her intentions, her heart, carried on her sleeve. To him, who lived shrouded in twilight, it was almost blinding.

"Don't misunderstand my intentions, Shepard. I have read the reports. I will let you and the Master Chief focus on the mission, but make no mistake. When this is over, there will be much to discuss. The notion of a second mankind, their mastery of Artificial Intelligences -the enemies they might bring into the fold of the galactic community. It is all out there, Commander, and it will not wait."

"I know it is. I've been practicing for the mirror, for when I present my case to the Council. Think of it as a pet project."

Her attitude switched from one end of the spectrum to the other with such speed that few people could keep up. The Illusive Man recognize it for what it was, however. Some people fought their battle with weapons, others with information. Shepard fought hers with words, every moment of the day. She probably did not even realize it. "One more thing. By now, you have no doubt that you shouldn't trust everyone."

"I keep a list with names I don't trust."

He took a whiff of his cigarette. "Add the Asari Republics to that list."

"The Republics? Why them?"

"I have reason to believe Tevos is compromised. Cerberus might be the only human organization of its kind, Shepard, but by no means is it unique. As of recently, the Republics have been pushing towards activating dormant Mass Relays to broaden their search for new species. Add to this a sudden and might I say, uncanny interest in both the UNSC derelict and it sole inhabitant…"

Shepard didn't respond, not verbally. She went, "Huh," and crossed her arms, leaving The Illusive Man to guess whether his warning had come across or not.

"That would be all, Commander. As your men are so fond of saying, happy hunting."

"Hmm…bye then."

She terminated the link on her end. The Illusive Man sighed and glanced at his cigarette.

I thought having all sorts of friends would ultimately pay off for someone like you…

"Elenar," he said, "I need you to do something for me…"

~0~


Normandy SR-2

The evening clock went off roughly an hour after her time with Tim and Shepard needed some serious distraction. There were two little Volus inside of her head, swinging Biotic hammers at her temples, eager to break through to the outside. One represented her conversation with Tim and wore a little tie, while the other represented her conversation with the Master Chief and was tucked clean and secure inside of his suit to keep her from imagining more images for her night terrors.

She wanted to deal with both, but lacked the energy to work with either. She headed up to the crew quarters for coffee, hoping that she could mimic the effects of illegal combat stimulants if she consumed enough liters.

And this time, it wouldn't count as self-destructive tendencies, because she was figuring out how to deal with a corrupt asari government and a galaxy-eating race of parasites respectively. Maybe what the crew needed was some quality time together, an exercise in team-play. She had asked Joker to set a course to the Crescent Nebula to hunt down that batarian ship Tim had asked about, but it would take them quite some time to get there.

Time enough for her to take care of some other things.

When the elevator doors opened and the Commander wandered past the restrooms, she saw that she wasn't the only one there. She saw Rupert cleaning his stuff, while Thomas Hawthorne was scrubbing the tables. Thane sat in a corner, reading, or rather pretending to read a datapad. Jane had ordered him to keep a close eye on the newest patient.

In the Medical Bay, Karen stood in the corner, reading a datapad while said patient, William Everheart, looked like he was finally sleeping.

On a new note, Shepard saw that Thane wasn't the only one keeping an eye out. Jack of all people leant against the bulkhead to her left, a couple of meters away from Miranda's office. Strangely enough, the tattooed woman kept her gaze solely trained on the Medical Bay. She wore her ever-present frowny scowl, though Shepard was surprised to see a small measure of unease on her face as well.

"Hey," said Jane.

Jack broke eye-contact with the window for a moment to glance at her. "Hey."

Jane cocked an eyebrow at that laser focus. What was so interesting about the window? "You know, Miranda's office is ninety degrees to your left, in case you would like to file a complaint."

Jack sighed with frustration. "The fuck is that supposed to mean?"

"The way you are staring at the Medical Bay, I'm starting to think you developed a grudge on one of its beds."

"Of course not," spat Jack, "That's fucking stupid."

"Oh." Shepard turned to look at Karen again, then spotted Jack's target. "So why are you…"

"It's that kid, if you wanna know that badly," Jack bit at her. On a somewhat softer note, she added, "Something's seriously wrong with him. Don't know why, but he pisses me the hell off."

Jane mentally gave herself a point for guessing correctly. "Was it something he did?"

Jack gave her a dirty look. "He didn't do shit. I just told you, I don't know why!"

"He does have that effect on people, yeah," Jane quickly replied. "It's not you. Well, not just you. In any case, it's not something you should worry about. Thane is keeping an eye out. Aren't you, Thane?" She added, loud enough that the assassin could hear her.

He stuck out his fist, contemplated which finger to raise, then successfully chose his thumb.

Jane grinned. "He's learning. Last time, he chose the wrong finger. Garrus was already challenging him to a friendly spar when Kasumi showed up to explain things. Fortunate for Garrus in hindsight, I think. Thane would have probably wrecked him in close quarters."

Jack sighed explosively. "Shit, do you always talk this much?"

"Not when I'm sleeping. I've been told I'm relatively quiet when I sleep. Why?"

"I don't like talking people," Jack said with a hint of unease. "Everything's always words words words, but they never mean anything they say. The more they talk, the more they're filled with shit."

Shepard nodded, understanding where Jack came from. However…" Look at me."

Jack fidgeted, keeping her gaze at the Medical Bay.

"Jack, look at me."

The woman did as the Commander said, leveling a deviant glare at her. "What?"

Jane blinked. "Do I look like people?"

For a few moments, Jack said nothing. Then, she snorted and shook her head. "Fine. I get your point. I've seen your talking work out."

"That's the spirit. I should probably go. Grab some sleep, Jack. You never know what happens tomorrow."

"You're not my fucking mom!" Jack snapped, before shaking her head and stomping off.

Jane suppressed a laugh and continued to the Medical Bay, politely knocking on the glass door before entering. "Doctor Chakwas?"

"Commander," said the doctor. She quickly tapped in a string of commands in her omni-tool, turning the windows opaque to prevent others from watching them. "What can I help you with?"

Jane leant the wall. "How's the boy doing?"

A shadow crossed Karen's features, but when she gave her reply, there was no anxiety in her voice. "Physically, he is fine. No sign of infection, the wound in his neck is healing properly and the scars on his back won't be quite as horrible as other batarian victims."

"But mentally?"

The doctor hesitated. "It is so strange…he seems so well-mannered, but…"

"But?"

She took a breath. "He continues to elude even the most basic psychological evaluations. Recently, I asked Kelly Chambers to evaluate him for signs of post-traumatic stress disorder or other conditions, but looking at the answers he gave, I am almost tempted to conclude that he is playing with us."

Jane frowned. "What do you mean?"

Instead of answering, Karen reached for one of the consoles and booted up a vid. It showed the boy sitting upright in his bed, while Kelly sat on the bed next to him. From the angle, it appeared as if the footage was caught from the doctor's omni-tool.

"-do you feel about the attack on your home? I can't even imagine going through something like that."

A few moments later, William replied. "It grated me."

"Grated?"

"My mother taught me I should not commit violence against the others, no matter how much I wanted to. It was her rule. When the aliens came, they did not obey that rule."

When Kelly next spoke, she sounded somewhat confused. "I see…however, I was referring to the aftermath of the alien attack. The death toll, the destruction. How are you coping with that?"

"Coping?"

"Dealing with, processing. Trying to make sense of it."

"Ah, I see. I don't."

"No?"

"There's nothing special about death. Most of the universe is death. A handful of people disappearing on some corner of some world is but a small, insignificant thing."

"Damn," muttered Shepard. She had seen depressed hanar with a more positive view on life.

"So when you said the aliens broke your mother's rule, that frustrated you more than the actual deaths?"

"In a way. They were things. Objects, garbage, however you would see them, but I would have preferred to do the deed myself."

"The aliens?"

"Aliens, people, everyone, everywhere."

If his response disturbed her, Kelly didn't show. "If I understand this correctly, the only thing keeping you from…doing the deed yourself…would be because your mother said you couldn't?"

William took his time before responding. "Some people believe in a power above. The only thing holding them back, would be a belief in a deity. I see no difference. What about you?"

"Me?"

"What holds you back?"

"Hmm…I guess that would be basic empathy."

"Empathy?"

"The ability to share in another person's feelings. The capability to be happy because they are happy, or be sad because they are sad. It is closely related to love."

"Ah."

"Does that sound familiar?"

"Not at all."

The footage ended there. Karen deactivated her omni-tool and casted the Commander a meaningful glance. "A Statistical Cataloged personality syndrome from the C Cluster, I believe. As you can see, your altruism might have caused us an additional problem."

Jane shrugged. "A bit disturbing, but so is Grunt's poetry. Actions are still more important than words and so far, he hasn't done anything to harm us."

"Of course, Commander. The key-word was "might". Still, it does not help to have Thane around. I will need doctor Solus' assistance in mapping young William's Biotic abilities, but if his story is true…"

A little voice in the back of Jane's mind told her that she might have found a powerful ally in her fight against the Collectors. The other parts of her recoiled at the very thought of recruiting a child into her team, and she quickly let the idea go for the moment. "We'll see it when it happens. For now, keep an eye on his health and uh…make sure he doesn't hurt himself."

"Certainly," said Karen. "Is there anything else I can do for you, Commander?"

Jane frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I am certain these recent events have placed quite a burden on you. All this business with the batarians, for one. Are you sure you are well?"

"Positive," replied Jane. Then she realized her response might have sounded somewhat like a growl, or a snarl to Karen, and she quickly added, "Don't worry doctor, I can differentiate between my personal life and the job well enough."

Chakwas sighed. "You and I could discuss the meaning of "well enough" all day Commander, but it is getting late. I do wish to ask one more question though."

"Yes?"

"About this AI the Master Chief brought with him…are you certain it is not a threat?"

Jane nodded. "I trust Cortana and the Chief like I trust anyone else here. Why?"

"Well, before the Alliance outlawed research into Artificial Intelligences, several breakthroughs were hypothesized on medical areas using VI or AI-controlled equipment."

"What kind of breakthroughs?" Asked Jane.

"Faster, safer surgeries, reducing human errors in diagnosis, identifying symptoms of disease and even improved radiological treatments," Chakwas quickly summed up. "To name but a few. Once everything has calmed down, an AI like Cortana could greatly improve the efficiency of our own Medical Bay, far beyond normal VI support."

Jane could definitely see the benefits, but it surprised her that Karen was willing to look past the whole "dangerous illegal AI" thing. "You wouldn't mind sharing space with an AI?"

The doctor leant back in her chair and raised a skeptical eyebrow at that comment. "No professional in the medical expertise would think of declining such an offer, especially not when they constantly work with the same patients. I would work with krogan doctors, if it meant providing the crew more certainty."

Jane remained completely neutral, but on the inside, she was filled with glee that her thinker-box was already putting itself together. "If you think Cortana can be helpful, you can always ask her. I'm sure she wouldn't mind."

"I shall defer to your judgement on that. Now Commander, you should get some sleep."

Jane blinked. "What?"

"It's getting late," insisted Karen. "You need rest. Go to sleep."

Sighing in frustration, Jane replied, "Fine, mom."

One stern look from the doctor later and the Commander had quickly vacated the Medical Bay Then, she shot a threatening look at Thane, acutely aware of his sensitive hearing. That particular exchange didn't need to be repeated, thank you very much.

She was just about to make one final round near Garrus when she felt someone staring at her.

The Commander turned around, facing the direction of the elevator. "…Samara?"

~0~


Torn between her loyalty to the code and the urgency of the situation, Samara stood near the Starboard Observation deck, watching the Medical Bay. She silently hoped that the Commander would see reason, understand why this was so important. However, she also understood that the human was not like the rest of her kind and prone to thoughts unrelated to the subject. If she decided this mission would somehow clash with hers…there wouldn't be an opportunity in another hundred years.

After several minutes, the tinted windows of the Medical Bay returned to normal and Commander Shepard left. She paused at the doorway however, before looking straight at Samara.

Sometimes, the Justicar would catch herself feeling surprised at the capabilities of the human. She would often remind herself that humanity had great potency, that to consider them juvenile and unskilled would be folly. "Commander."

"Samara?"

"There is a matter of great urgency I must speak to you about."

Jane brushed a strand of red hair out of her eyes. "Sure. In private?"

"If possible, I would like that very much."

The Commander gestured that they return to Samara's quarters and the Justicar followed. Together they returned to the Starboard Observation Deck. Once there, Samara took to the distraction of the window, where she watched the bright variety of colours and lights created by the FTL travel of the Normandy.

"What can I do for you?" Asked the Commander.

"I…must ask for your help," confessed Samara. "It is not easy for me."

"Sometimes, people need help. That happens. I'll do whatever I can to provide that help."

Samara did not turn around to look at the Commander. "Back on Illium, I was hunting someone. Do you remember who I was after?"

"A very dangerous person. An Ardat-Yakshi."

"Indeed. Using the information you obtained, I have located her. She has been going by the name 'Morinth'. I would like to apprehend her, before she disappears again."

"Apprehend is Justicar slang for killing really dead. I know you didn't wanna talk about it, but…what'd she do?"

"If it means securing your help, I will tell you everything."

"Neat. Are we going up against an actual demon here?"

Samara almost smiled at the Commander's knowledge. "You know the dialect?"

The Commander shrugged. "Just parts I read up, after I was made a Spectre. Potential enemies and all that. I take it, it's just mythology?"

"Indeed," said Samara, not sure why a human officer would read up enemies within long-dead asari dialects. "She is simply a very dangerous woman, who kills without mercy."

"If you think she's dangerous, she must be one heck of an enemy." The Commander stepped closer, close enough to touch Samara, should she want to. Her voice adopted an almost eager, intimate tone. "Tell me about her."

Samara remained focused on her reflection. She commanded herself to remain impassive about what she was forced to do. "Ardat-Yakshis suffer from a rare, genetic disorder. When they mate with you, there is no gentle melding of the nervous systems. They overpower yours, burn it out, hemorrhage your brain."

"Ouch."

"You end up a mindless shell. Soon after, you will be dead."

"Hmm… every Ardat-Yakshi has this? There is no cure?"

Samara shook her head. "There is no cure. Either they choose isolation, or they choose death. Inflected upon others, called upon themselves."

"I take it this isolation means a life of imprisonment?"

"We are a gentle race, Commander," replied Samara. "They will live out their lives in comfort, without the chance to hurt others or themselves."

"I wouldn't want a life like that. Why not let them go, trust basic decency to do its job?"

"We cannot let them go," said Samara, her voice tinged with hardness, "As the addiction will claim them. The ecstasy cannot be ignored."

"Ecstasy, addiction…they grow addicted to the killing?" Said the Commander, her voice starting to betray a measure of unease.

"No, not the killing itself. Horryfing as it might be, the killing is merely the result. They want to mate, as they gain power from it. You see, every encounter gives the Ardat-Yakshi strength. The effect is narcotic; the more they do it, the more they need to do it."

"And if they don't want to stop…"

"She will never stop. She can't, she won't."

"And every time they kill, they gain power. Biotic? Physically?"

Samara turned around, looking the Commander into her eyes. From one powerful Biotic to another, she had to convey the true danger behind Morinth's abilities. "Each time Morinth claims a life, she becomes stronger, smarter, faster. Her Biotic sense becomes more fine-tuned, her control increases. She can dominate her victim's mind with her abilities, twist their thoughts, control their feelings.

Shepard's face was a masque of impassivity; nothing betrayed the inner turmoil that had to be raging within her. As a powerful Biotic herself, the Commander would surely understand that Morinth, should she not be stopped soon, would eventually grow powerful enough to become unstoppable.

"Where is she now?" The Commander eventually asked.

"On Omega. I know we just left there, but I only recently found out about this."

The Commander sighed. "We're already on the way to the Crescent Nebula to intercept a batarian slaver ship."

"If Morinth kills again…" Started Samara, curious to see what the human's standards regarding lives weighed off against lives were.

The Commander met her gaze without hesitation. Her bright, green eyes were cold and detached, when she spoke. "Then that will be on her. The lives we save by destroying a slave-ship, outweigh those we save by ending Morinth. At least, for now."

"I see," said Samara, though she wondered whether the fact that the aliens were batarians had anything to do with the Commander's judgement. She returned her gaze to the window.

"We'll finish our business quickly, then head back to Omega. Don't worry Samara; either Aria T'Loak catchers her sleeping with the wrong people, or Morinth has to move slowly and carefully. We still have time."

The reflection in the window showed that the Commander was about to take her leave. Something compelled Samara to speak up, to tell the whole truth now that she was confiding, or risk slipping away into silence once more. "There is one more thing. This creature, this…monster…"

Shepard turned around right as Samara started hesitating.

"She is my daughter," continued Samara. She turned around again, forcing herself to face the Commander with that horrible truth revealed.

A myriad of emotions crossed Shepard's face. Surprise, anger, confusion. Then, she settled for sadness. "I'm…you said this was genetic. Do you have more daughters? More like Morinth?"

Samara had the impression that the Commander was about to apologize for her situation, but chose not. If so, she was grateful for her tact. She had no patience for pity, she would not accept it. "I have three daughters. And they are all three Ardat-Yakshi."

The Commander looked down at the ground for a few moments, before quietly asking, "But Morinth was the only one who chose freedom, instead of a cage."

"Morinth was always the wild one…happy and free…" Mused Samara. "But selfish. Her condition is my fault. The lives she took are my punishment. And my redemption lies in killing her."

"You became a Justicar because of that."

Samara looked out the window, staring at the one memory that drove her, haunted her, without end. "That day, I gave up everything. All that I possessed, all that I was. I own nothing. All my knowledge will die with me. My one purpose is to destroy my own child."

Whether speaking the truth like that left her for better or for worse, Samara did not know. The burden she carried with her felt lighter still, but the dull ache in her heart stung all the worse.

"A single event to spin your whole life on its head," muttered the Commander, perhaps in a moment of bitter self-reflection of her own.

"And I've had hundreds of years to live with that," replied Samara. "I say too much. Forgive me."

"Samara…"

"Help me find my long-lost daughter. And kill her." Those words and the pain they brought with them were a part of her punishment. She uttered them calm, with confidence, unyielding in her own purpose.

"I will," the Commander softly replied.

She turned to walk away once more, while Samara sat down in her lotus position to start meditating. "Thank you, Shepard. There are no words to express what this means to me."

Perhaps sensing that she would like to be left alone now, the Commander said nothing. She silently left Samara to her thoughts as the doors closed behind her.

~0~


Crescent Nebula

24 hours later

The team stood gathered in the Normandy's cargo hold, all twelve of them, the Master Chief himself not included. Commander Shepard waited patiently until they were all fully suited up, occasionally glancing at Tali, whose icy demeanor and cold silence was apparently uncharacteristic for her.

The Master Chief knew that it had to do with Cortana's reveal and the history of the quarians. The way he understood it, Tali could barely tolerate EDI's omnipresence. The fact that Cortana and Legion were even in the same ship as she was, was more than she could handle. He understood why she felt that way, which was why he couldn't sympathize with her.

Confined to the Normandy, he had been forced to work together with aliens for weeks, perhaps even months by now. He had three decades of war worth of memories, to be triggered with every step he took, every corner he rounded. Every fiber of his being screamed at him, constantly, that he was behind enemy territory and that he should act as such.

If he could set aside his feelings, so should the girl.

Even if she was a civilian.

"Alright squad, listen up!" Yelled the Commander when everybody had checked, double-checked and triple-checked their seals. "The Normandy's opening salvo disabled the batarian vessel. We're going in, kill everything that moves and clean their databanks of intel. Once inside, well split up into teams of four. Team One will be Legion, Zaeed, Jacob and me. Team Two will be Tali, the Master Chief and Kasumi. Team Three, Samara, Miranda and Grunt. Team Four, Jack, Thane, Mordin and Garrus. Squad Leaders are the Chief, Miranda and Garrus. Questions?"

Garrus raised his hand. "Opposition?"

"About a hundred troops, give or take."

Grunt chuckled when he heard that number. "They should have brought more!"

"What kind of intel are we searching for?" Asked Miranda.

"Anything that ties the batarians to Aria T'Loak, or their leader. Remember; with the batarians dead, thousands of people will be spared from slavery. Stay sharp, stick to your team. Happy hunting."

"Happy hunting, she says," commented Cortana. "As if this is some sort of team bonding exercise."

The Master Chief made his way to one of the two shuttles, replying, "Preparations for using team coordination against the Collectors, perhaps."

"Maybe. Still, employing this entire team against a single batarian Frigate, when you and Shep were enough to tear through a similar force yourselves? Seems like overkill to me."

"It's simply an easy way to win."

The shuttles, now loaded with the team, shot towards the crippled batarian vessel. The Master Chief took the few moments he had to survey the two combatants whom he was now responsible for.

The first was Tali'Zorah, the quarian. A noncombatant turned combatant, without military training. Her compromised immune system meant that a single wound could spell her death and her environmental suit couldn't be much hardier than the harness of a Grunt. He didn't need a combat engineer, as Cortana fulfilled that role better than any organic being ever could. It meant he would have to keep a close eye on her, link her Kinetic Barrier display to his own HUD.

The second member of his little squad was Kasumi Goto, a woman he knew about as well as Tali's shotgun, albeit without the benefit of understanding. She was a thief. A master thief who stole for a living, but a thief nonetheless. He didn't know her capabilities, but he did know that she did not have the personality or the state of mind of a soldier. That meant she was a liability, just like Tali.

John frowned. With a team like that, he might run into some complications.

"The Master Chief and the Master Thief, 'ey?" Said Kasumi from underneath her helmet. They had to be prepared for a zero-G op. "This is going to be fun!"

The Chief mentally corrected himself. It looked like he had already run into said complications. "Just stick close to me and we'll get through this in one piece." He held out his omni-tool towards Kasumi. "Upload your shield gauge."

The woman giggled. "Men usually buy me dinner before I "upload" my "shield gauge" for them."

The Spartan raised an eyebrow at that comment. "Come again?"

"Oh, you're one of those types? I'll play along…"

After Cortana uploaded the data towards the Chief's link, he held out his omni-tool towards Tali as well. "Tali?"

The girl simply stared at him, her arms crossed over her chest. The Chief couldn't help but be reminded of Kelly when she had set her mind to "impossibly stubborn". Despite the mask hiding most of her features, he could feel the icy glare and he lowered his arm again.

It looked like the lonely bar displaying Kasumi's barriers would remain that way.

"Don't feel bad, Chief," said Cortana. "You can't blame her, it's just her upbringing. And life experiences. And combat experience, I think. Who knows, it might even be quarian genetic. My point is, don't do any blaming."

"Copy that."

"We're hitting the landing zone in ten!" Yelled the pilot. "Stand by…stand by…"

A tremor ran through the shuttle and the Chief braced himself.

"We're latched. Good luck!"

The interior of the shuttle depressurized. The hatch opened and all air vacated the dropship. The Master Chief readied his rifle and scanned the wounded exterior of the batarian vessel, which had been mercifully and expertly shelled by the Normandy's main weapons. There were plenty of hull breaches from which they could enter the ship, but the Chief didn't want to risk it.

"Fan out team," spoke Garrus across the team's coms. "Master Chief, we'll take the left side. It looks like the Commander and Miranda will breach from the other end of the ship. I would wish you good luck, but you seem to make your own luck."

"Stay safe, Vakarian," replied the Chief.

"Aww, you do care?"

Tali and Kasumi joined their Spartan team leader and readied their weapons as well.

"How does the old saying go again?" Quipped Cortana. "That's right, into the breach!"

John didn't comment. As long as Cortana kept her head in the game, he was willing to let her do whatever she wanted to.

"We're going in."

~0~


AN: I know, I know, it's been nearly 4 months, shame on you Masterdude21. Still, it's not been without reason. My father's health has been deteriorating slowly over the course of the past year, but things went ugly the past months. He's fine by now, slowly recovering, but heart problems are always worrying.

Add to that the incident of this year's internship, which was supposed to be the last internship of my education had it not been for f*cked up circumstances. Towards it's end (around late May) I got ROYALLY screwed over by the supervisors and other people involved with the internship. Things got nasty real soon and though I found a new place to redo that internship, I still have nightmares about the old place.

I don't normally get nightmares from disturbing things, of which I've seen/experienced my fair share.

So yeah…that was a thing. Thought I'd at least explain that, before I go off on another hiatus or something.